The Nightmare Catcher
by eitherangel
Summary: The are no black or white souls. We only got differents tones of grey!
1. Carrie

**This is my first Abarat story ever written and I hope you guys will be gentle with me. I`m a writer to "Creature and the Maiden story, based on Mary Shelley Frankenstein and I`m soon be reaching 20 chapters. Became a Abarat fan when I got the books as a birthday present and I just fell in love in the story and the amazing paintings!**

**I want to say Thank you to Red Stockings, for her kindness to correct the tenses and spellings for me! Thank you and watch out for chapter two! :)**

**P.S The Abarat world belongs to Clive Barker, I`m writing only for fun, not for money! But the main character Caroline "Carrie" Reilly is mine.**

**Enjoy!**

**The Nightmare Catcher.**

**Ch 1.**

"Excuse me, but this is our table."

The young girl gazed up and saw three girls, two with very blonde hair and one brunette, all wearing the stereotypical and "every girl biggest dream" cheerleader dresses. Blonde girl number one, (obviously the leader), who had told her to move away, spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. They were the queens and she was a lower peasant. But the girl just starred expressionless at her, then continued to draw in her sketchbook.

"I don't think you own this table. Is your name on it?"

Blonde girl number one looked down at the dark clothed emo-girl who had just ignored her command and then physically pulled her black skinny legs up and dropped them back on the bench.

"Well, I can't see your name on it either!" Blonde girl number two smirked.

Without taking her eyes off her sketching, the emo-girl grabbed one of her dark colored pencils and scribbled her name (with her left hand) on the desk, upside down from her side of the table.

"It is now," she said before she switched pencils and started to draw with a red tone on her paper. "Now go away…"

Looking down, the girls could see the name _"Carrie"'_ written in loopy, black, cursive style. The girl, named Carrie, continued to draw in her sketchbook.

This was her new style. Pretend that these girls didn't exist in this cafeteria nor on the planet. It was better than throwing her lunch and the milk packet on them.

"Mmmm… If I remember, you often sit there," Blonde girl number one said, pointing to one part of cafeteria which was the most unclean one. "Or in the basement," she continued. "So my recommendation to you, "Miss weirdo freak number one" is to sit as far from us as impossible or sit with your friends…" Then the blonde girl pretended to realize something important, with mock surprise, that her words would have been humiliating for Carrie.

"Oh heavens, I forgot, you don't have any!" She finished cruelly and All three of them laughed.

"Or you could just go and take another seat or go back to where you came from… the operating table perhaps?" Carrie muttered and ignored again the six eyes gazing irritably at her skinny person.

In their own little world, the idea of perfection, beauty and grace were crucial. In their own little world, they knew they were beautiful, but would never admit it to each other. It was "vanity". According to them, when you had a nice body, you needed to pretend to whine over it. Saying that you've got fat legs, a chubby stomach or pimples, just to get the attention of your friends and admirers, and to hear them praising _"Oh you`re not fat! Your body is so slim, just look at me, I`m fat!" _Then you could pretend to be modest, when secretly feeling good. The latest fashions and makeup are therefore in their eyes a crucial fact to being popular and worshipped by others 'below' them. But this girl, sitting on "their" bench, had a style that was total opposite from their own clothes and fashion.

Carrie wore a tight fitting black leather jacket, with a black/red punk shirt under it, with detachable mesh sleeves underneath and together with black skinny jeans with holes in them, together with black heavy boots to match with her gothic outfit. She had really pale, flawless skin, high cheekbones and light, almost invisible eyebrows, but wore thick black eyeliner, with red and black eye shadows around her eyes which made it look almost like two deep holes. She also wore several earrings in her ears, then a ring in her lip and a small star on her left nose. The only necklace she had was a long silver chain with a pendant. The chain was simple but the pendant was oval shaped stone with silver texture around it.

She barely had any breasts, which the cheerleaders probably thought should be pitied, but to compensate she had long slim legs. The only thing Carrie and the two blonde cheerleaders might had in common was their light hair color. Well…the cheerleaders' hair was fake and more golden and shinny. Carrie's was pale, long, and messy with dusty grey touch and few long black strands under it.

In different clothes, her body and face could have been more appealing but Carrie had ignored all the rules of fashion. Through the cheerleaders' eyes, she looked like an insect, a small black grouse spider from another world.

"Miss Reilly, what in heaven's name have you done to the desk?" A sharp and bright voice roared behind the three girls and a second later, the source of the voice was standing in front of Carrie's black boots. Carrie moved slowly her eyes up to Mrs. Schwartz demonic eyes, but didn't move an inch from her spot, nor said a word in reply to the history teacher's question.

Deborah Hackbarth (blonde girl number one) took the chance, considered herself to be Mrs. Schwartz's favorite student and special pet.

"Carrie refuses to move her dirty boots from her bench so we can eat our lunch and she even splotched her name on the desk to prove she owns it."

"Miss Reilly, perhaps you have forgotten our head principals rules, that bad behavior and disrespectful attitudes towards your classmates and teachers, are strictly forbidden and if someone breaks these rules, that student will be excluded from the school in X amount of time!"

"I know it so well Mrs. Schwartz, but I can't remember when I insulted you?" Carrie said calmly but still kept her boots on the bench and even started to rub her black heels on the top of it, creating small marks. Reaching what must have been Mrs. Schwartz limits of patience; the old teacher grabbed Carrie's feet and forced them down from the bench. Carrie tensed when Mrs. Schwartz touched her legs.

"Don't be such an idiot Miss Reilly, just because you just moved here and have obvious "mental" problems, that is no reason for me or the principal to save you from being kicked out of school, and sending you back where you belong."

"Oh Mrs Schwartz, I really like it here! I'd never of imaged such a place I never had the joy of moving here. A place where people care if the chickens in the factory are sleeping well during the nights or whether they've given them enough food to get fat and chubby enough for butchering the next day," Carrie said sweetly and then glanced at Deborah's, Ruth's and Melanie's white, red and orange cheerleader's outfits, before adding: "Not to mention that even the cheerleaders are dressing like chickens."

"How dare you!" Mrs Schwartz hissed. "These girls are representing our baseball team and working very hard to support and encourage them to be the best team in this town. Not to mention the whole of Minnesota too. They are hard working girls with great grades and personality and you should be seeing them as great role models!"

"_Role models, riiight!" _Carrie thought disbelieving._ "In appearances they would represent perfect Miss America, but their souls, they would be perfect assistants the devil`s bitch!"_

"And give me that!" Mrs. Schwartz grabbed Carrie's sketchbook forcefully and took a quick glance at it. She frowned. "Dear god! Where in your deepest part of your brain have you come up with this picture? It is hideous!"

Carrie was an excellent artist and loved to draw. However, Carrie would never show her talent to the world, as the pictures she preferred to draw were not kind child-friendly pictures. When Mrs. Schwartz grabbed her book, it was the last straw of Carries small patience. A murderous rage overtook Carrie's features as she glared at Mrs. Schwartz before snatched her sketchbook back from her hands.

A savaged thought of inserting her red pen right in the middle Mrs. Schwartz's eyes, crossed her mind, and afterwards she'd use her hands and give each one of the "chicken-girls" a nice swollen lip.

But she controlled herself.

Instead Carrie hissed slowly "Don't touch my things!"

Perhaps her intuition, but Mrs. Schwartz could feel the hidden lines between Carries hissing, her skinny body tensing, her long fingers clutching hard in her book like claws and her other hand holding her red pen with a very hard grip, like she was ready to attack her prey. Mrs. Schwartz's found she was swimming in deep dangerous water now but it didn't affect her decision to punish Carrie.

The "Chicken-girls" has also noticed Carrie's hard clutch on her pen and looked like they wanted to get the hell away from this strange girl. Half the cafeteria had dropped their food and was now watching the drama, curious what`s going to happen next.

"Go to the principal's office, NOW!" Mrs. Schwartz said coolly and loud enough for everyone to hear. "You're just begging to get excluded from this school and I won't be surprised if the Principal is fed up of giving chances and does it. I can't understand why he has tolerated you so long!"

Carries ice grey eyes pierced through her blonde hair that fell in her face. Seeking Mrs. Schwartz's brown eyes out like a target. It sent shivers up Mrs. Schwartz's spine and she felt a cool breeze whip through her grey hair.

Then Carrie just grinned, clicked her red pen shut and put the sketch-book away in her backpack before taking her dishes to the sink. Taking very slow lazy steps to make Mrs. Schwartz more pissed off.

"That girl is retarded," Melanie whispered to the others.

"Yeah! She reminds me of that half-dead zombie girl from that horror movie we saw last weekend…"

"I heard seen she's visiting a head-shrink," Deborah whispered back. "And that she's been in and out of psychiatric units since she was five and…"

"That girl is not normal," Mrs. Schwartz muttered as she moved back from Carrie to check the other students in the cafeteria.

Carrie was irritated and tired. The bell signaling the beginning fifth period had just rang and she was, at this point, sick of school. Not that she was never NOT sick of school. She trudged through the hallways like she was walking through prison, angry with herself for being stupid enough to get provoked again and let her sarcastic tongue slip.

"_The last thing I needed was to get in trouble with the school authorities…again," _she thought bitterly.

She had no friends. She ate lunch alone, studied alone, and never raised her hand in class. The most she did do was drawing or reading big heavy books. Her 'mother', or rather, the lady who took care of her, worked at the chicken factory, and even when the teachers asked what to do about Caroline (Carrie's birth name), her guardian's advice was to "just leave her be."

It's not like her grades are suffering. Quite remarkably the opposite, but everyone felt something was a little…_off,_ with Carrie. No one could really explain it, but she just sent out bad vibes.

Her nickname 'Carrie' was not unusual; especially when you had a name like Caroline, most people would rather be called something a little less old fashioned. It's easy to pronounce, it sounds pretty and a very famous TV-character is also called Carrie.

But when people think about _her_ and that name, they didn't think designer clothes, they thought of the horror novel.

Except that this Carrie and Carrie from the novel are two totally different personalities, not to mention looks. If there was another universe and if these two girls existed in the same time, and maybe in this universe they even went in same school. Carrie White would be terrified of Carrie Reilly. The difference was, Carrie White's biggest wish was to fit in and be popular. Carrie Reilly didn't give a damn about it.

As she walked though the corridor, the microphone turned on and the dear Head Principal's dark and low voice screamed though the speakers.

"Attention students, I have important information that you need to listen to. From an unknown but very important source, I must inform you that all lessons for today and tomorrow are canceled and all students must immediately go home to their families and stay there until further notice. I don't have more information at this time but the school is closed from now on."

"_Someone up there must love me." _

Strangely, Carrie was not surprised. For the past few days, the people in the town had been acting kind of funny. She notice that people sometimes turned around and glanced behind their shoulders, or cut off in the middle of their conversations or pause from doing something, as if an invisible person was irrupting them and telling them bad stuff. Some people on her street had even packed their belongings and suddenly moved away, without telling anyone why.

Carrie asked her guardian Nancy about it, but she just gave a worried look and said uncertainly that she didn't know.

_"There is something in their heads that keeps repeating that they need to move from the town, or at least to move to "Higher ground." And it's not only them, I got that feeling too. You remember what happened in the hotel "Comfort Tree" right, in the strange room?"_ Nancy had said.

Thinking about these strange events, Carrie notice an old poster half hanging on of the school billboards, showing a young plain looking girl, wearing a white shirt, blue jacket and dark shoulder length hair. What caught her attention were the girl's mismatched eyes, brown and blue, and the big text over her head.

"_Missing_" and then her name _"Candy_ _Quakenbush_".

Carrie found it odd that Candy's last school paper and the haunting rumors and whisperings came from the same source. It been months since Candy had disappeared and Carrie seemed the only one interested in the fact that Candy had written about the haunting at the Comfort Tree Hotel, and that now odd things were happening there. No one seemed to make the connection but Carrie got the feeling it was something important!

"_Define "normal" for me please." _Carrie thought bitterly as she walked out of the school building.

She wasn't deaf to what people said about her and she had heard Mrs. Schwartz's last word. Mrs. Schwartz seemed obsessed with the idea of being normal.

The last time Mrs Schwartz had asked a pupil why she couldn't be like other "normal" people, had been the day they when they got their papers back. The project had been to describe ten important things about Chickentown and Carrie remembered that she had written a very detailed and interesting description about "_Final Scream,_" Chickentown's one and only fashion-shop which contained a few collections of her favorite clothes. She also liked it because it didn't contain posters, T-shirts, cups, postcards or any other sorts' commercial rubbish picturing their "precious" chicken factory, in which she placed as number nine on her assignment.

She had got a C+ and a long note from Mrs. Schwartz that contained that _"a small store, nearing it's bankruptcy, is not a suitable, intresting or important choice of project, and has nothing to with Chickentown at all. Except selling horrible and trashy clothes that nobody wears." _

Mrs. Schwartz had a reputation for being very strict. There was even a rumor that she kept a cane in her cupboard. Unfortunately on that particular day she was at her worst, but rather than Carrie, the class was surprised when Mrs. Schwartz's choice had been Candy Quakenbush for "Victim of the week."

"Why can't you be like everyone else?" Mrs. Schwartz had yelled at her. "How can you be so stupid and naïve, just look at Ruth's paper. Look at the diagrams and the budgets." (Which Carrie knew was copied from her father's booklets, since Ruths father was the head-chief of chicken.)

Carrie wondered if it was illegal to say such a thing to a student. That you're an idiot, naïve and annoying? Probably! Her former teachers had said the same things and they never got arrested. Carrie had been watching the events from the corner of the classroom. She had slouched on her desk, resting her chin on her hand and listening to the conversation between Candy and Mrs. Schwarz. She remembered that Candy had defended herself and even fought back when the dragon lady told her to pick up her stuff from the floor (which had been Mrs. Schwartz's fault.)

"_Smart girl"_ Carrie had thought at the time.

She was the only girl Carrie could think of, who had at something more in her brain than rubbish like the rest of students, and even had guts enough to run away from this lousy town. Carrie couldn't help but smile as the thought about it.

"_To bad that I didn't have the chance to know you. If I knew that you would leave this town in the middle of the day, pissing of Mrs. Schwartz and perhaps never coming back, I might have joined you. I honestly hope for the day when people's lives don't revolve around chickens, chicken food and the other crap that comes with chickens. But that seems a long, far way off. Unfortunately."_

She was one year older than Candy, why she studied with the first grades and not the seniors, was because two years of her life got wasted in "prison". She avoids speaking to anyone about it, neither her guardian nor the teachers. But somehow Mrs. Schwartz's had heard about it from the principal. Not good! She preferred to be alone and endure high school sufferings alone. But if Mrs. Schwartz's was going to use her past as a blackmail, then she would be very very sorry!

**Reviews please!**


	2. Therapy and a big wave!

**It wasn`t easy to find the right name for Carrie. Names like Jackie, Jade, Lori, Terri and even Shane were in my mind but none of them fitted. Until I discovered the name Carrie. It was absolutely perfect! Thanks Mr King!**

**Again I want to say thank you to "Red Stockings" for your big help to check and correct the tenses in this chapter for me! Thank you! :-)**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

**Ch 2.**

Dr Gordon sips tea and smiles at Carrie. She had offered a cup to Carrie, but she had said no thanks and now just lay expressionless on the couch in the therapy room. Dr. Gordon or rather Rebecca was an average woman of over fifty with blonde-gray stained hair and brown friendly eyes. She had lived in Chickentown for almost twenty years after marring and moving in with her husband. She was the town's one of four therapists, so she knew a great deal about almost everyone's secrets and problems. But her main focus was dealing with problem youths. Kids with drug problems, family problems, being bullied at school or having bad self-confidence. She'd met and treated every kind of problem and she knew she was good at her job. But this girl was unquestionably the most difficult case she ever met.

Rebecca tapped her pencil against her clipboard, each tap sounding especially loud in the silent room. She was in a staring contest, and both she and her opponent were stuck in a dead tie. Carrie hadn't shifted, not once, and her gray eyes were both focused directly on her, yet not. How one could manage to achieve both of those things at once? Rebecca didn't know. What she did know was that for both of them this was quickly becoming a waste of time. She sighed, laid her pencil down, crossed her legs, and gripped the end of her clipboard, resisting the urge to tap her fingers on the bottom of it.

"Carrie" she tried again, saying her patient's name for what felt like the hundredth time in the past fifteen minutes. After shaking hands as usual and taking their seats. Rebecca in her chair and Carrie on the sofa, nobody had said a word after it.

Carrie didn't budge.

"How was your day in school yesterday?"

She said nothing, but Rebecca wasn't about to give up. She hadn't spent forever in College to give up on every difficult person that crossed her path.

Not yet, at least.

Carrie was dressed for the day in a black T-shirt with a white Ed Hardy picture on it, together with a black monk jacket. She had on a black skirt that was frayed at the hem; rivet belt, heavy Doc Martens boots, striped red and black tights and fishnet gloves on her hands. She had put on makeup with a mix of black and green shadows, together with black lipstick and as usual her silver necklace around her neck. But this was now hiding under her shirt. If Carrie were one of her daughters, Rebecca would have strictly forbidden her to wear these kinds of clothes. She would have given her two years house arrest if she'd ever caught her daughter wearing black lipstick.

"We still have another forty-five minutes. And while we could spend that time sitting in silence, we'd still have another session next week and another after that. And I think, Carrie," she took the time to enunciate her name and was pleasantly surprised when Carrie flinched a little, "that silence will get pretty old."

Again, no answer. She pressed forward.

"So how was your day?"

"I don't know… ok I guess." Carrie sighed, anticipating a long, drawn-out conversation with her supervisor and started to focus on looking through the window.

This time it was Rebecca's voice that sounded annoyed "Carrie?"

Carrie eyes turned from the window and starred at her therapist.

"Carrie, you can't always tune me out, I'm trying to help you."

"You can't help me," Carrie said in a calm voice. Rebecca looked at her for a second and then took down a few notes on her paper.

"What makes you say that?"

Carrie moved, leaning back on her sofa. One the legs squeaked as her weight shifted. "Because from my own experiences by my former head-shrinks, you never listen or believed what I said, you just think I`m just crazy! Plus you still haven't found him yet!" Carrie spat out the last word hard, 'him', and her eyes darkened as her fingers clawed into her hands.

"I have read your journal and I must confess I found it hard to believe what you have been through. But I want us to focus on the present and your life now. Let's go back to the subject that I was asking you about before you tuned me out."

Carrie looked past her gray stained hair, to glance at the different degrees and certificates covering her wall.

"How long did it take to get all those degrees?"

"Carrie can you look at me please?"

Again Carrie forced her gray eyes to look at her therapist.

"Good as usual, some cheerleaders mocked me and Mrs. Schwartzs yelled at me and ordered me got the principal office."

"And why did she do that?" Rebecca took some notes on her clipboard.

"…Because I refused to leave my spot in cafeteria when the "chicken-girls" told me to move."

"Was it necessary to do that?"

"Yes."

"And you got detention again?"

"Not really. Fortunately the head- principal made an announcement before I could get to the office and told us that all the lessons had been canceled. So I took the opportunity to leave," Carrie explained.

"How did you react when Mrs. Schwartz gave you detention?"

"I was pissed off when she touched my legs without my permission and when she dared to snatch my notebook away to look inside. But no violence occurred. I just left…" She crossed her chest with her hand to prove her honesty.

Rebecca smiled. It took some time and little persistence to make Carrie talk. This was her fourth (or seventh.) session with her and she gotten pretty used to her attitude and refusal to speak. At the first session, Carrie hadn't opened her mouth one bit during the whole hour and she hadn't even come to her second and third sessions. On the forth her guardian had forced her to go. After that Carrie had slowly begun to open up, and Rebecca considered it an improvement that Carrie at least answered few of her questions now.

"You have improved your temper. I think you have started to understand that using violence towards people only results in people getting hurt and sad. But if you have nothing nice to say about someone you shouldn't say it at all."

"_Some people deserve to be punished and to be burnt in hell. It`s them and not me who should be scolded." _

"But it`s a improvement…"

Carrie shifted around on her seat.

She remembered when she lived in Saint Paul. A guy from the senior school wanted to 'test' her, to see if she was a boy, knowing full well that she was not. He'd done this by putting his arms around her from behind and pushing them up inside her sweater. Afterwards he had whispered in her ear that she was a whore. Whereby she had replied with a hard hit to his face with her elbow and then in a moment of madness had grabbed one of the street lamps, lifted herself up like a stripper and kicked him with both heels across the bridge of his nose. This had prompted heavy bleeding. In return for being molested and defending herself, she'd received a night in jail.

To move away from Rebecca's questions about her behavior, Carried pulled out from her bag Candy's homework and threw it on the desk beside Rebecca. Carrie had managed to steal Candy's paper before Mrs. Schwartz had gotten the chance to terminate it.

"You remember Candy Quackenbush?" Carrie asked.

"The girl who disappeared three months ago, yes I do."

"Before she disappeared, Candy wrote a strange but very interesting story about something she'd heard from Norma Lipnick, the assistant manager of "Comfort Tree Hotel". Instead of writing something about chickens, she wrote about the death of Henry Murkitt, a former founder of this city. Did you know this place was called "Murkitt", before it got changed during the 1940's to Chickentown?"

"I didn't know about it. I`m not born here but what has it to do with you?" Rebecca wondered curiously. She knew that this was one of Carrie's tactics, to talk about something else than herself.

"It's a good paper, and I think she should given points for originality or at least ambition to write about something exciting rather than the chickens. But the funny thing is…no one believed her! The whole class laughed and Mrs. Schwartz got so pissed off over what Candy wrote that she sent her to head-principal's office. Of course she never went there and that was the last time anyone saw her. I didn't laugh at her, but I didn't believe in her story either, even though it was interesting. But this is where the real interesting part comes, which I hope you can solve because you`re therapist and expert of the human brain..."

"Did you know Candy?" Rebecca asked. This was becoming interesting. Except for discussing her guardian and her teachers, Carrie never spoke about her classmates. Perhaps Carrie and Candy had something in common?

"…Not really", Carrie shrugged. "We shared some lessons together but I had just started and never got the chance to know her. But through my eyes and perhaps in yours, I saw her as a smart, yet "normal" girl, nothing extraordinary. And yet this "normal" girl wrote a paper that tells us about "Comfort Tree Hotel's" room nr 19."

"The room that someone wrote "Higher Ground" on the wall, which resulted in huge media publicity?"

"Yes and the strange thing is… How come so many people didn't believe in this story before, but now everyone is totally insane?"

"This town is very small and ghost stories are interesting and exciting, but I think it will end soon. But why didn't you show these papers to the police? It`s important evidence!"

"Well…I never thought about that, no one thought about it and I wanted to keep them as a souvenir. She is a good writer!" Carrie couldn't help to smirk and Dr Gordon raised her eyebrows at her weird answer.

"But I think this is just the beginning…" Carrie added.

"What do you mean?"

"Just a half hour ago I saw a long tailback not far away from our street. People have this worried look on their faces, like they need to get the hell out of here. And then there those even weirder folk camping on "The Hill"." Carrie's smirk was getting wider as she glanced teasingly at Rebecca. "Tell me, are we all going crazy?"

Rebecca was quite used to Carrie's cryptic teasing by now. She was having fun playing games with her, half joking and half deadly serious. Seeing how far she could go before Rebecca lost her patience with her.

"Carrie, I know very well what you`re saying, but I believe this is some kind of epidemic fear, that must have started as bad rumors and has now created mass hysteria. A 'Bandwagon effect'!"

"Meaning people often do and believe things merely because many other people do and believe the same things?" Carrie added. Rebecca looked curiously at her. "I read it one of your psycho books," Carrie continued.

"Exactly, but why is all this so important to you?"

Carrie straightened up in her seat, her voice shifted, becoming serious and dark.

"I want to make a statement. When a person is telling you something important, even though it sounds crazy, unbelievable or horrible, it might actually be true!"

"In your mind it actually happened, but I think that all these things are kind of metaphors or symbolisms that you use for you what your father did, like the "parasites" you have mentioned…"

"It never happened in my fucking fantasy!" Carrie shouted standing up. "I have said it thousands of times but no one believes it. Yes! You, me, and so many others that I have met know that he was a total asshole, but you won't believe his "methods", and you also think he sexually assaulted and raped me! He never did to me! He did worse than that!"

"I agree with you that your father is an evil man and he deserves to be punished..." Rebecca calmed her… "but what you did…" Rebecca pointed at Carrie's journal lying on her disk. "Are in my eyes very brutal and violent action. An eleven year old girl would never have the courage or mind to do what you did!"

Looking into Dr Gordon eyes, Carrie said calmly "He deserved it…" then she grabbed her bag and walked towards the door. "And I don't have any attacks of conscience about it and that you cannot change that nor can anyone."

"Carrie, you know I'm just trying to help," Rebecca said in a sincere voice and even though Carrie chose not to look at her, she could tell Rebecca wanted desperately to help her. Perhaps the first therapist that really did.

But she was tired of this.

"The socials gave you a chance to start a new life in this town, on the condition that you go to therapy, control your temper and learn to show some empathy and kindness. Your behavior hasn't changed a lot but I think it will. That's if you to learn to be more open with your classmates and take these sessions once a week. If you refuse, I will be forced to contact the social service and let them move you back to "St Johanna" again. Please sit down!"

Carrie froze from her spot, half holding the doorknob when she heard Rebecca's last words.

"_Back to St Johanna, never!"_

Muttering she headed back to the sofa and sank down again. Scanning over Rebecca's office, she turned her eyes to a medical journal that lay on Dr Gordon's disk. Two inches thick, stuffed with the doctor's reports, psychological analysis', medical records and medicinal history, probably police reports too. Carrie knew what they thought about her, but she wondered curiously what they might actually have written in on paper about her she didn't know about.

"They haven't found him yet, but they are still looking."

Rebecca interrupted Carrie's thoughts and Carrie looked deep into Rebecca's brown eyes.

"How can it be so damned difficult to find a man like him?" She whispered.

Rebecca cleared her throat and stared straight at Carrie.

"I don't know, as soon after he checked out from the hospital, he just disappeared. Carrie…I think you should leave all this behind you. Don't let his actions poison your soul and mind. You`re still young and you got a big future."

There was long silence after that.

"Then what is my future?" Carrie said with a slow voice.

Rebecca began to feel sorry for this lonely girl. How much torture and suffering has this young woman endured. What is her future going to be? What will she be doing when she`s twenty-five, thirty-five, forty-five? Will she ever open up? Or will her soul forever be damaged?

At first, Rebecca had the impression Carrie suffered from some serious emotional problems, and although this was true, she'd also discovered that behind her sullen façade there was an unusual intelligence in her.

"…That is something you need to create for yourself and perhaps you will find it here Carrie." Rebecca said honestly.

The sounds of knocking on the door interrupted what Rebecca was going to say next, and the door opened allowing Dr Gordon's secretary Miss Snell to rush in.

"I`m so sorry to disturb you, but you have an emergency call from your husband," Miss Snell stammered, unable to help but peek a little at her boss' patient.

"Tell him that I will call him later."

"No, he said that he`s packing all your belongings right now and he wants you to leave this town with him this instant!"

"What?" Rebecca shouted, "He can't just do that! This is absurd!"

"_Bandwagon effect."_ Carrie thought.

"Carrie I`m sorry, but I must immediately talk to my husband. Please call the office or stop by on your way out to schedule a new appointment."

Carrie didn't say goodbye to Rebecca as she was hurried out, but instead noticed once again her journal on the desk. Checking that Rebecca was now talking, or yelling at her husband on the phone, Carrie quickly snatched journal and stowed it into her bag before she left the office.

Carrie sighed and stood in the threshold outside Dr Gordon's door. She watched the lives of so many people pass by her. She was in the middle of nowhere, she was almost 18 years old and she was supposed to living the best part of her life.

"After all these years and they still haven't found him..." She muttered. She thought long and hard about him, memories of earlier years came flooding into her mind. _"You fucking bastard, just wait when I get a hold of you."_

Taking a seat in Chickentown's small park, she quickly skimmed through the notes Rebecca had received from the social workers, doctors and her former school guidance counselor, Mrs. Miller _"…We are referring Caroline T Reilly, for her outburst of negative behavior, bad temper, and we also believe that Caroline may be suffering from a eating disorder…"_

She found a small letter from Dr Hellsinki, or Dr Hell, her former psychiatrist back in St Johanna.

_"This girl has been bouncing from department to department for years; apparently, no one's ever made a proper diagnosis._

_She's an enigma, for several reasons that you'll shortly see. Her condition since she came to us has improved a little, but she's a difficult girl to handle._

But then again, no one seemed to even have a clear guess of what was wrong with her. She'd been through every psychological profiling possible, and yes, while there were common elements, there was too little to make a clear estimate of her problem.

Perhaps in the beginning, all attempts by social-workers, therapists and doctors who tried to analyze her were met, to their great frustration, with a sullen silence and a great deal of intense staring at the floor, ceiling and walls from her. It wasn't until she moved out from Saint Johanna Psychiatric Clinic for Children in Saint Paul; she began to open up a little. But her casebook was filled with terms such as;

_Lack of empathy…violent…antisocial…inflexible…anorexia..._

Carrie found one small note from Dr Hellsinki…_Possible Borderline Personality Disorder, we don't know?_

Anorexia! No way! She had no problem eating a Big Mac together with a Super Big Menu, fast food or any kind of grease, except Chicken nuggets or any sort of food that contained chicken. (Thanks to chicken-factory TV-commercials). She was born skinny! That`s a biological fact.

But the rest of the words….Carrie took a deep sigh…were pretty close.

Certainly, she was polite and respectful to those who showed her respect. But when someone was forcing her to do something she didn't believe in, or want to do, nothing could move her from her spot. Carrie noticed Dr Gordon's notes that she had written earlier.

"_Carrie is very unwillingly to talk about her family or herself. You need to almost force her to say anything at all, and when she does speak, it always about something other than the question. Mrs. Schwartz has just informed me that Carrie has threatened and insulted her classmates again and even ignored the detention she's just recieved. But this time Carrie has also threatened Mrs. Schwartz herself when she wanted to look in her sketchbook. Her grades are good but she is very antisocial. If this continues, I will have no choice to inform the socials and perhaps give her some new medicine, move her to another city or back to St Johanna. _

_But I will not give up on her! She`s a vulnerable but very strong girl who needs to find the right path!"_

"_Thanks for the warning!"_ _The nerds are "anti-social", they are always playing computer games or reading chemistry books, but they don't get put into a straigtjacket!_ _Why me?"_

She didn't want to get involved with people, what was wrong with that? Speaking to people meant they started to ask questions, wanting to know her feelings and try make sense of her life. Rebecca was one the few therapists she'd met, who luckily was more open minded and actually cared about her. Rebecca couldn't understand Carrie's background history, so instead she focused more on her future.

Plus she was a woman with great stubborn patience.

Glancing at her watch, to read 13:28 pm; Carrie cursed the time and grabbed her bag, it was time for dinner and she was late. "_Nancy is going to hand me my ass on a platter for being late…again." _Opening her phone which she had kept shut down during her session, she found Nancy had tried to reach her ten times and sent five text messages. All with the same message:

"_Carrie! If you read this message, I want you to go straight to "The Hill" after your meeting with Dr Gordon. It lays on the eastside of the city. You will find people there and I will be waiting for you. Something bad is going to happen! I don't know but DO IT NOW!"_

Carries eyebrows frowned. This wasn't Nancy's style? She was a very calm and reasonable woman, she never interfered in Carrie's business or tried to control her life, (except forcing her go to school and the sessions.) One of the reasons Carrie stayed with her so long and hadn't run away like she had before with her two other foster families was because of Nancy's relaxed style of guardianship.

Is everyone turning insane?

"_Carrie!"_

Carrie ears shot up suddenly at hearing her name, she scanned the street for the source of irritation but she didn't see anyone she knew. "_It must been someone else calling._" She thought, trying to calm herself down. She began to walk down the park-road, but then she heard her name again. She whipped around looking for the person who had called her. Nobody there! A new terror filled her, was she now hearing voices? But the voices she heard were not like regular voices. The voices were whispers, like when you hear water from a far. They spoke to her.

"_Higher Ground, You must go to higher ground."_

"_Oh great, I`m turning schizophrenic!"_ Carrie thought sarcastic, trying to ignore the sounds.

"_Now you listen to me you stupid girl, Move your ass straight to the hill now or you will be very sorry." _The voice sounded like an old woman and this time it screamed straight into her right ear, like she was standing right beside her.

"What the…!" She turned around fast and saw a mysterious woman standing very close beside her. She was old, with white hair and a night blue dress that looked like it came from another century.

But Carrie was even more surprised when the woman's face became shocked when Carrie looked straight into her eyes, almost as if she didn't except her to listen, or see her at all. Like when you expect a person to be deaf and you`re talking shit behind his back, until you discover he can very clearly hear you.

"_You…can see me!" _

"Yes of course I can see you!" Carrie shouted. Staring angrily at this crazy old woman who had just giving her a nice ringing sound in her right ear. "What is this all about?"

_"Oh dear Izabella!"_ the old woman whispered, clutching her hands on her chest as she starred at Carrie. Something in her face changed. First it was the shock of Carrie's outburst, and then her expression became disturbed. Her eyes changed for a second, like her soul disappeared somewhere else, leaving her eyes all blank until it returned back to her… in her almost invisible body. Carrie froze, she could see through the woman's body. This wasn't any ordinary insane old woman?

"_Oh my poor girl, this is going to change everything." _The woman whispered sadly.

"What do you mean?" Carrie peered suspicious at her.

_"The time of judgment is coming, and you will soon discover the truth about yourself, my dear sister."_

Only this time, the answer didn't come from the old woman's lips. It came out of nowhere, which caused the old woman and Carrie to jump slightly and look around. But there was no one near them. The voice sounded young and feminine, like a soft breeze. It was something familiar in it, Carrie couldn't place it, but it felt like she'd heard it before, a long time ago.

Suddenly there was a tremendous roll of thunder that crashed over their heads and at the same time the streetlights flickered, causing everyone in the street to stop. Carrie frowned, looking up at the sky as she wiped away the first raindrops on her face, watching as the dark clouds started to overpower the blue sky.

Carrie looked back at the woman, but she had disappeared out of the blue. Did she just image it? Or did an old crazy ghost woman or something just tell her that "everything is going to change?". Is it some kind an apocalypse? Then the strange voice giving her a strange riddle?

What`s going on?

Taking Nancy's command with heart, Carrie started to walk fast to the hill. She wasn't the only one who'd chosen this road. Surprised that she hadn't notice before that people were carrying bags, suitcases and personal belongings on their backs. Shops were closed and there were no cars in sight, except one in a backyard. An old rusty red Ford. This wasn't a few people moving out from the city because someone started a "bandwagon effect", this was a mass evacuation!

And then something far, far stranger happened. At first she thought it was her senses playing tricks on her. She turned around and realized others were feeling it too. The very ground beneath their feet was rumbling, as if a small but persistent earthquake was happening below the streets of Chickentown. Now something new, from outside the city, less than a mile away, came hurrying after the vibrations. A strange sound she would never have imaged to hear, not here in the middle of Minnesota!

It was the sounds and smell of saltwater rushing.

She whirled around and saw...and sure enough, there was a huge tidal wave heading right for Chickentown.

"Oh my God…" she whispered.

This can't be happening, this could no fucking way be happening! They were hundreds of miles away from the nearest coast, but there it was. A huge thirty feet high wave, bearing down on them with the unstoppable motion of an avalanche, coming towards them at high speed.

Carrie didn't even think about running. She just did it. With pounding legs and burning lungs she ran as fast she could. The rain came like an ice-cold shower over her head; Carrie could hear the water behind her, and the screams of the other people trying to escape. She had to be above the level of that wave and she had but a brief span of few minutes to do it. The thought of rushing into the nearest building and climbing to the roof was in her head, but in the corner of her eye she noticed the old car standing few meters from her and changed her mind.

Having some lessons how to hot-wire a car from her old days in St Paul, Carrie unlocked the front seat, climbed in as fast as she could and managed to turn on the motor by tying a negative and positive cable together under the steering wheel. Praying the car had enough gas!

Not caring if this car belonged to someone else who perhaps should need it right now, Carrie pushed the pedal down with her Doc Marten boot, shot out to the street and then stepped hard on the accelerator and headed towards the end of the town, far away from the wave. Her heart was beating like mad. She watched as some people just stood there on the sidewalks staring at the wave. Others ran around like crazy chickens. Through her rearview mirror, the water was coming in at every direction now and all things; trees, benches; trash cans, children's plastic paddling pools and trampolines were being dragged along the ride.

People too…

Blinking with surprise, Carrie could swear it seemed like two huge ships were surfing over the waves towards the town. One painted red and one that seemed to look like a damned ghost-ship from a horror movie. She prayed that Rebecca has listened to her husband and gotten out of the town, and that Nancy was safe and sound on the top of the hill. Because the chances of not getting smashed by the water were pretty slim.

And before she knew it, the car's bonnet crashed into a huge dumpster that had just rolled into the road in front of her. Luckily she had her seatbelt on, but the last thing Carrie could remember seeing before she passed out was the wave smashing into right side of a building next to her and then one second later it was towering over her like a dark shadow.

"_Yes, this is going to change everything!" _


	3. Drowning

**Hi again! **

**Sorry for the long wait but reality and my part-time job needs to come first! To keep Clive Barkers wonderul books alive and not fading away (Damn you Clive, seven years has gone seens your last book and we`re still waiting! Where is Absolute Midnight?) is our responsibility to create and update fan-stories! Inspire people to read these books, perhaps make their own stories and give Clive one last push (or hard kick.) to hand his manuscript over to his publisher. **

**Thank you "Red Stockings" for your great help (and sharp eyes) to read and correct my grammar and tenses for me. What would I do without you? **

**And great thanks for the first reviews on my first chapters. :)**

**Chapter three.**

Sitting tied up in a car which was sinking to the bottom of a new ocean, wasn't quite how Carrie had planned to spend her day off. The air pressure, which awoke her from her blackness, now forced her to see dark-blue shadows instead. Freezing water was all around her and she didn't know first which way was up or down.

Why wasn't she dead?

The answer to that was the red ford's quality. Despise its rustic appearance, it was solid and the windows were thick and intact so it had saved her from getting crushed. But a small string of water was starting to come in from the few openings in the doorframes and was beginning make a small pool around her legs. Carrie checked first if her legs and arms were intact, she had a headache but it was nothing serious.

Alright, her body was all ok but the situation was terrible. She was locked inside a Ford, with a tremendous load of garbage floating outside; street signs, bicycles, chairs, tables, sinks and fencing, everything. To her surprise, fishes! Fishes that looked like offspring's of a Piranha and a Shark, with a small crossover of a Dragon fish, they circled the red car like a flock of starving vampires and Carrie didn't like their eyes while they swam near the windows and gazed upon her like a delicious meal.

"_What are you looking at?"_ Carrie narrowed her eyes on the nearest fish that just passed on her right side, with a quick reflex the fish moved away from the window when it saw Carrie's suspicious look.

Suddenly, with a feeling like a car crash, the car hammered into a solid underside of a boat. The shock of the impact caused her eyes to fly open. The car was dragged along the rough surface of the boat, and the sound of scraping metal and hard wood were terrible in her ears. Causing new holes and new entries for the water pour in.

"_In this situation there are two different kinds of deaths I can choose. Number one; be suffocated and drown in this fucking car. Number two; get eaten by Piranha-Sharks! Not an easy choice! But if I chose number two, there is a slightest chance that I may survive. If these "fish" stop circling around me like I'm a meal and if I swim very fast, I might be able to make it out. But the problem is, if I open the window or the door when there's still air in here, the water will come crashing down, including the fishes and I won't be able to make it out. If I wait until the car fills up all the way, it would be easier to open the door or the window. But again, there is a risk…I might be fish food! _

She quickly made her decision.

Carrie pushed against her seatbelt and it came free. The water had reached her waist now, but she forced herself to remain calm and breathe through her nose. Taking long slow breaths, since the air was precious, she needed to be prepared while she waited. With great anguish she decided to leave her bag, it would be dead weight for her and would slow her down. She did not want to lose her precious sketchbook and her pencils! But she had no choice. Opening the side locker she tucked the bag in and closed it. She didn't want the fishes eat her precious master pieces!

The Piranha-Sharks circled around faster, as if they knew what she was going to do.

30 seconds later, figuring the pressure was about as equal as it was going to get, Carrie pulled a long deep breath in through her nose as the water reached her head. Then she dipped her head down. Her eyes stung from the salt but she forced them to remain open as she slid her hands along the front door, until she found the handle.

She pushed her hands hard against the door handle and it creaked and groaned even underwater. A few precious air bubbles escaped through her lips in her efforts. Her lungs were staring to ache for oxygen.

The door opened slowly just as Carrie was growing light headed.

The water was dark as Carrie pushed herself weakly out of the car, trying to get to the surface. The pain was incredible, a terrible weight was pressing onto her body, squeezing her insides with an unfathomable pressure. Following the last of the bubbles that escaped the Ford, she kicked her way to the surface.

A moment later she managed to burst through the surface before the water overwhelmed her. A ton of garbage welcomed her, and all the junk made it even more difficult to swim.

Her arms felt heavy, her legs felt like lead and her torso was practically a dead weight. But she kept on swimming until she reached a big piece of floating driftwood and clung into it.

Mission accomplished! She was alive and the Piranha-Sharks hadn't attacked her…Yet!

And if it could get any better, the red ship that had rasped the roof of the Ford with its keel was rising from the waves before her. And luckily someone was standing on the right side of the deck and was just looking down at her small feature. It was a young girl with dark-brown short hair with a touch of red in it, her face was sad but seeing Carrie splashing around with all the junk made her eyes pop out in shock.

"Hey!" Carrie shouted, trying to wave with her hand without losing her grip on the driftwood. "Help me up!"

Suddenly pain shot through Carrie's right leg as one of the fishes took a quick bite from it and dragged her back under the water. She screamed in pain and the air in her lungs escaped in a frantic stream of bubbles. She span around seeing nothing but the dark blue darkness around her. Once again the piranha-sharks came into her view. They licked their long reptile tongues over their so-called "mouths" and "breathed" in the bloodstained water that came from Carrie's wounds.

"_Go away, Go away you little creeps!" _

With a slow but hard kick she managed to hit one of the fishes on the nose, but in return it took a hold of her boot and started to drag her down deeper into the darkness. A yellow fish started to nibble on her left thumb and another started to rip off her shirt. She tried to fight back, but the cold water was starting to envelop her flailing limbs with caressing arms like ice. Her eyes widened in pain and her muscles began to cramp from the freezing temperature. Slowly, the little air she still had in her lungs left her body. Small bubbles spiraled up towards the sky that was too far away to reach. Her vision completely clouded over and she started to sink into a black oblivion.

But just before her mind could leave her, one the fishes decided to take a nice bite out of Carrie left hand. The pain that came from the creature's sharp teeth caused the palm of her hand to glow, and a tingling sensation began to pulse through her hand, getting warmer and warmer. Just as the fish was ready to take a new bite, it touched Carrie glowing palm, and suddenly jolted away like as if it had gotten an electric shock.

The other fishes quickly moved away from Carrie's limp body and her dangerous glowing hand, staring at their now dead comrade… lying upside down, totally roasted to his bones.

If fishes had shoulders, they would have shrugged them thinking; "What the Heck!" before they enjoyed their new dinner from their once dear comrades' flesh.

Candy's eyes were focused to systematic scanning over the water. It was a dreadful sight. The surface was littered with the remnants of peoples' precious things, so compacted that it looked as if you could almost walk on it. Every now and again something would appear among the wreckage, something personal, such as a bicycle with training wheels, or a bed floating by with the pillows still in place, and an empty kennel.

But the thing she'd feared seeing the most, was the bodies of people who'd drowned. Finnegan Hob's comforting words had soothed her a little, but the guilt still lay in her stomach. It was she who had wanted to go back home. Why hadn't she changed her mind when Wormwood started to chase them? Take another course or give herself in? She could have prevented it. She could have waited!

Luckily, someone had forewarned the people of Chickentown, but now thousands were stranded on the top of the hill. She could see smoke rising from the fires they had built and around that a sprawling collection of tents.

"_Thank god!"_

You can always get new things, you won't miss a washing-machine, but personal things like photographs, diaries, teddy bears and beloved dogs and cats are harder to forget or replace.

And there is no replacement in human life either.

Suddenly her eyes caught something splashing frantically in the murky blue water. The face was obscured, but judging by the length of the drowning person's hair and the highness of their voice it was easy to tell it was a girl. It was clear that even though there were lots of people stranded on The Hill, the wave had managed to claim some victims on its way.

"There is a woman in the water!" Candy shouted as the girl suddenly sank beneath the surface of the water, leaving nothing but ripples in her wake.

Finnegan Hob and Malingo rushed forward and gazed down to where Candy was pointing.

Captain Mcbean scanned the scene ahead of the Lud Limbo boat-cabin, trying to fix his gaze in the bubbling water where Carrie's head had just come up and then disappeared.

"Are you sure? It's hard to see through all this junk?" Mcbean shouted.

"Yes I'm sure and we need to get her up!" Candy pleaded.

"And be eaten by Mantizacs? There are dozens of them, they've probably eaten her legs and arms by now!"

"But we can't just leave her there!" Malingo shouted as he started to remove his clothes, getting ready to jump in. But Finnegan Hob stopped him before he committed any foolish bravery.

"Don't be a fool! Do you want to be fish-food? Look, there is something down there!" Finnegan Hob said and pointed his finger down.

As they looked at the black water, Candy thought she saw something bright silvery blue shining from down in the blackness. Then suddenly it came up to the surface, a thing covered in greenish blue like scales from head to toe, it might have resembled a fish, if it weren't for it somewhat human appearance, and that it was holding the half unconscious girl in it's arms.

"Deaux-Deaux!" Candy shouted happily.

"I think you dropped something? She was lucky, she's got red and black legs so the Mantizacs and Kjivns felt unsure if she was edible or not."

The crew were already lowering a rope as he started to swim slowly back to the ship. It was hard work to keep both of them afloat. She was light but her sodden clothes weighed both of them down. But they were yanked out of the water and pulled slowly upward by the crew. Then they pulled them over the side and Deaux-Deaux slumped onto the deck, putting the girl gently down on it.

She was lying there, completely unresponsive. At first glimpse, Candy thought she had mistaken a skinny boy for a girl, but then she noticed the very small bumps under her wet shirt and the sharp feminine look on her face. (Under cover of wet runny black makeup) She had a nice wound on her right leg and one of her hand, small red marks were covering her arms and shoulder and most of her outfit was torn and shredded open. For a moment they worried that Deaux-Deaux had been too late to save her.

"Do you think she's dead?" Malingo whispered.

Carrie's grey eyes suddenly flew open and her lungs started to remove all salt-water that had filled them, which caused the crew jump slightly with surprise.

"Guess not!" Finnegan Hob added.

It was gone, the weight, the pressure. Her stunned senses could not make out what was going on. All she knew was that she was motionless and utterly freezing cold. Carrie tried raising her head, but she was overcome by a sudden rush up into her throat. She hauled her battered body over to one side, and felt the burning of dirty salt-water vomit from her mouth.

Malingo supported her and patted her back to help remove all the sea-water in her lungs.

Carrie opened her eyes slowly again and found that they still burned from the salt water that had previously entered her eyes. Realizing she was no longer in the water, she sat up quickly, looking around at her unfamiliar surroundings and the creatures starring at her.

"How are you feeling?" Candy asked as she moved closer.

"How did you end up in the water?" Mischief John asked while all his brothers stared curiously at her, all with different expressions; confusion, curiosity, suspicious, flirtatious, worried, angry, pity on their mummified faces. Carrie managed to look up at him, obviously confused and half-delirious from the massive intake of water in her lungs.

"Are you alright?"

When she turned her neck, her grey eyes flew open as she stared at Malingo's odd orange face right next to her, with a reflex her hand came up and she slapped him hard across his face.

Malingo's head whipped around from the force of the slap and he put his hand to his stinging face. "I don't think I deserved that..." He muttered.

"Who… are… you?" her voice was hoarse, so she swallowed and tried again. "What's going on?" Better.

"Hey! He just tried to help you, you almost drowned and we saved you, or Deaux-Deaux did and you should be grateful," Finnegan Hob glared angrily at Carrie.

Was this some sort of a weird dream she was having? A colored man with green eyes and red dreadlocks was explaining to her that they had just saved her life, while a strange red skinned man with horns and skulls on his head had asked why she in the water? (Did he think she had a strange urge to take a nice swim today?") She looked at the orange skinned humanoid with web feet who seconds ago supported her back?

It must be another one of her dreams; she did recall people like this in her dreams and in her drawings; only they were not as vivid as they were right at this very moment.

"I…don't like being touched," Carrie muttered while she crawled away and coughed out the last remaining water in her lungs. Her leg hurt terribly and she hissed in pain when she moved it.

"You need to cough up some more water; you face looks blue!" John Mischief added.

"Yours is very red, have you eaten chili pepper?" Carrie spat back and tried to sit up. She wobbled at first, and then took a careful step. But every step she took, pain shouted from her right leg and she moaned lightly.

"She's got a sharp tongue!" John Moot muttered.

"Oh please! Can't you see that she is overstressed and injured? She needs treatment and peace!" Geneva Peachtree said.

Carrie analyzed the rest of the crew; she, this black woman, the man with dread locks and a small girl with silver hair were the only ones who looked almost human. Carrie didn't trust these strange creatures or strange humans either.

"I`m so sorry for what just happened but we didn't mean to…" Carrie looked up at the other human girl who was standing next beside her. It was the girl with the short hair who she had called for help… her eyes…How odd is that, to see the same eyes she just gazed on yesterday, wondering if they could have join a nice road-trip away from this tiny town together, now gazing in real life on her, on a ship!

"You`re Candy Quackenbush!" Carrie said slowly. Her piercing eyes looked deep into Candy's odd ones, one blue, and the other brown. Carrie's eyes were so sharp, that Candy found it uneasy to look into them, but she didn't show it in her face while she spoke.

"Yes, it's me." She smiled. "Look I'm really sorry for what just happened but we didn't have so much choice; they came along when we passed through the frontier."

Carrie nodded. "People were looking for you, you just disappeared."

"I know, for a moment I just wanted to leave this place, but now I'm going back." Candy said as she looked at Carrie's thin form. But what was she going back to? She has just ruined her hometown and she had no idea were her parents where!

"Who are they?" Carrie starred suspicious at the strange crowd of people around them.

Candy had no idea whether to answer Carrie's difficult question or not. Malingo is a Geshrat, Deux-Deux a Sea-skipper, but the rest of the team were pretty difficult to place. She didn't know which Island or people/creatures they belonged to.

"People of Abarat," Candy said and found the answer right.

"What`s Abarat?"

"A place where the hours have their own Island," Candy repeated. "If I told you more, you wouldn't believe me, besides if you did it's a very long story."

"And we don't have time to sit around like some children, hearing you telling bedtimes stories," Captain Mcbean yelled from the wheelhouse. "We are near the tower with the clock you described. I can see people on the roof."

Carrie and Candy fixed their sight outside the vessel on what was once Chickentown. Some of the buildings were on fire or burning. The thick black clouds of smoke bellowing out in some areas made it hard to see clearly. Seeing people stranded, some of the roofs of the buildings, they looked at them with shock or disbelief in their eyes while they passed through. The _Wormwood _was nowhere to be found, totally obscured by the mist and clouds of smoke from the burning buildings.

"I guess they're going to choose the moment," Mcbean muttered and while he narrowed his eyes to see better from his binoculars.

Just half an hour ago, Carrie had been walking through the streets, trying to figure what in the world was going on with this town, and especially her life. Now the world had turned upside down in a moment and she had gotten roared in her ear by a ghost lady, starting to hear voices in her head, and then illegally stealing a car to get away and getting crushed by a big monster wave. Well at least she was over sixteen and had a car license. Which unfortunately was in her bag, in the locker, in the smashed car and deep down in the murky water, together with her journal, cell phone and her precious sketchbook.

A pang of sorrow came over her as the thought of her lovely drawings; all her paintings and other sketchbooks in her room were probably destroyed. Worrying about Nancy's health didn't occur in Carrie's mind, Nancy was safe and sound on the top of the Hill, and that was enough for her. It was her pictures that she missed most of all.

"Please god let my family be safe!" Candy whispered, as she looked sadly at the ruins of her once beloved home.

Carrie narrowed here eyes at Candy to read her expression, but then the pain in her leg hit her again and she clasped her hands against the wound. It didn't fade away; instead she started to feel all the other wounds and scratches, especially her palm on her left hand.

"Let me take care of you," Geneva Peachtree said as she moved slowly to Carrie's side. She felt that this girl was like a loaded pistol. It was best not to do something hasty that she could take the wrong way.

"May I?" Geneva asked as she opened her hands to Carrie. Asking permission to touch her. After a long minute, Carrie gave a small nod, allowing Geneva to take one of her arms, placing one over Geneva's shoulder to support her and they headed down to the cabin. Not a single moment until then had Carrie let her shield down.

Before they went downstairs, Carrie turned her head slowly towards Candy. She saw her glancing over the railing after her family and the last of remains of Chickentown.

This was not her style but out from her mouth Carrie spoke a few words; "Thank you", then she addressed Malingo, who was still staring at her and gave him a small nod; "…and I`m sorry!"

"Talk about Ice Queen that one," John Serpent mumbled to his brothers after Carrie and Geneva disappeared.

**This chapter is quit dull and it was hard to write, it didn't inspired me like my other chapters but I had to write it down because it`s important for the story. **  
**I think it`s because I don't like Candys friends. :P**  
**Mischief John, Malingo and Finnegan Hob are alright but they are no fun to write and I fell nothing for Mcbean,Tom,Tria or Geneva. It`s nothing thrilling about them. They are "to good" and to easy to forget.**

**But as "Red Stocking" wrote: "** **I have to agree with you, Candy's 'friends' are not very exciting, but I suppose we don't know very much about them. Perhaps you could create some histories for them, to make them more interesting?" **

**Perhaps you`re right! Maybe I should! But not to much. :P**

**P.S Be prepared for chapter four! You`re going to love it! **

**Reviews please!**


	4. Shes Weird

**Here comes chapter four. Carrie has just been saved by the crew of Lud Limbo and is now under deck with Geneva Peachtree. This chapter will focus one of Carries "obsessions". I`m going to upload another chapter tomorrow. ;)**

**Again I want to say thanks, give many hugs and kisses to "Red Stockings" for her great help to read and correct my grammar mistakes and tenses. Stupid Swenglish! I can read, speak and write in english very well (I love the language), but I have a bad habit to write in "Swenglish" sometimes. English is my second language, not my first. I`m from Sweden and our grammar and tenses system is different from the english.**

**Thank you for taking your time even you`re very busy Red Stocking! Please update your story soon! :)**

**Chapter Four:**

Carrie was sitting on a comfortable bed, waiting while Geneva was in the cabin's small kitchen, preparing something in a bowl. Carrie subconsciously put a hand on her bandaged leg, trying to soothe the pain that was trickling throughout her wound while she laid one of the cabin's beds. The injury was external, no bones or strings were broken, which according to Geneva was all thanks to her red and black tights. They'd prevented the Piranha-Sharks from eating her whole. They didn't like the red color.

Ugh! She hated having to depend on other people. It made her feel so helpless. Carrie sincerely hoped she would not be a cripple forever and that she could use her left hand when it was healed. Like her leg, her hand was bandaged, but more lightly since it was only a small wound on her palm.

Clutching the blanket Geneva had given her to warm herself; she got slowly and unsteadily to her feet and took a tour around the room. The design was more or less different from ordinary sailing boats. Where she was now would be the living room. It was a big room with two chairs and a table in the middle and a small kitchenette in the corner. She saw another door, which probably lead to a bigger bedroom or a bathroom. The last door was the main door, which they'd come in from. It wasn't a cruise-ship but it was big enough to fit a small group of people in.

She started to relax when she couldn't find any immediate signs of any insidious trap. But her anxieties were still on her shoulders. She didn't have her sketchbook in her hands. Usually she carried it all the time under her arm or in her bag. There was no one who prevented her (except perhaps during school lessons) start to make a new picture wherever and whenever she wanted. She never realized how much it had really calmed her when she got one of her "ideas" or "attacks", it helped her to relax and it was a good compromise from the other things she had done before.

Her mind and her fingers begged for a piece of paper and a pen, it didn't matter what quality it were, she needed it!

"You need to be careful or the wound will open up again and bleed through the bandage," Geneva said as she came back from the kitchen. Carrie brushed her damp locks of hair from her face and looked at her hostess, who just prepared her a cup of something wet and green.

"Do you have a name?" Geneva asked casually as she handed the cup to Carrie. Carrie didn`t sense any threat from this woman, but she still kept her distance. Carrie glanced suspiciously at the green substance in the cup.

"Do you have a piece of paper and pen?"

"What for?" Geneva wondered.

"…It helps me to relax."

"No sorry, we haven't checked out the place properly, this boat is new. But I think this will calm you down," Geneva smiled and handed the cup to her.

Carefully Carrie took the cup with her hands and took a small sip. The taste she felt was some kind of mixture of cinnamon and sea leaf. Strange but warm! Then she remembered that her hostess just asked her name.

"Carrie" she said in a wary, but polite tone. "Carrie Reilly."

"My name is Geneva Peachtree, one of the sailors of Lud Limbo. The man with the horns, who you asked if he had eaten chilipeppers, is Mischief John and his brothers. Mcbean is the man in the wheelhouse who is my boss. But actually it's Malingo who's the captain of this ship…"

"The creature with the orange face…" Carrie interrupted, avoiding looking into Geneva's eyes as she took another sip from her "tea". It felt good to have something warm in her stomach after been swimming in the cold water, but her fingers still longed for a pen or pencil.

Geneva studied her. Did all hereafter girls wear this strange kind of outfit, like this Carrie-girl? She herself would never wear shirts like that or so many earrings! But the sea-water had cleaned up all her makeup and after using the blanket to remove the rest, Carrie's face was blank and pale with very sharp contours; sharp cheekbones, sharp nose, thin lips and grey-blue eyes with light long eyebrows. But her eyes were to Geneva's surprise, calm and very steady. It was odd that Carrie was so calm, considering they'd just saved her from drowning and then introduced her to the crew, who had the kind of appearances she'd probably never laid her eyes on before.

"I think is best for you that you stay here. It's not safe out there while _Wormwood _is hunting us."

"_Wormwood_ is the other boat...?"

"Precisely!"

"Why are they chasing you?" Carrie fixed her eyes again on Geneva.

"Lord Carrion and his cursed grandmother want Candy. It was them who caused the great flood, not us."

"Why do they want Candy?"

Geneva hesitated; she wasn't sure either of Candy's importance or why Carrion had gotten this fixed idea to capture her. She has caused some trouble for him, but she never harmed anyone.

"I don't know, but ever since she came to Abarat, nothing is the same. She's very special."

"Candy said that every hour is an Island. Which Island do you come from?" Carrie asked curiously.

"On the Isle of the Black Egg, which is 4 :00 a.m," Geneva replied. "It may not look like the most inviting of places. Four in the Morning is a dark time. The moon's gone down and the sun's nowhere near showing its face. But there's more to my island than darkness and death."

"Sounds like a lovely place to me." Carrie gave a small smile as she traced her long finger along the lines on the tables.

The world of Abarat sounded very appealing to Carrie's ears. Living in a place where your wildest imagination exists. Her journal, which held her past, now lay deep in the ocean. No one knew who she was or could judge her from her background. She could leave this boring reality and start a new life in a whole new world.

But then she remembered her promise, a promise she would never break…She hadn't prepared herself over all these years for nothing. She needed to stay in this world. Even she didn't want to. Damn! The tea had warmed her but it didn't calm her or remove her anxiety. She desperately needed a pen or anything to occupy her mind, as she was starting to get a headache and her vision was becoming blurred.

"By the way, the man who just yelled at you, the one with the dreadlocks, is Finnegan Hob and the small girl is…"

"You fear it?" Carrie suddenly asked.

"Fear what?"

"That ship? Are you afraid to get caught? I have seen its design. I would like to draw it!" Her tongue slipped before Carrie realized what she was saying. But this thought had just begun to tease her and she needed to know.

"Well…I certainly do not want to get caught and tortured. If they are in a good mood, they might give us a fast and almost painless death," Geneva replied, while she raised her right eyebrow at Carrie's weird question.

"But is that your biggest fear?"

"What?"

"Everybody has fears. Is _Wormwood _your biggest fear or it something else?" Carrie wanted to know.

Geneva looked at her up and down, clearly unsure whether this girl was being serious or not, or whether she was crazy? For the first time after she woke up, Carrie's eyes sparkled with her eagerness to hear the answer. No, Geneva thought, they were glowing. But still, the question confused Geneva.

"Are you serious?"

Seeing Geneva's confused face, Carrie woke up from her trance_. "No this is a bad idea! Very bad idea!"_ Carrie shook her head, trying to remove this sudden and weird obsession.

"Forget what I said, it's just… if I don't have a pen in my hand, I can't relax! Drawing helps me relax or I lose control over myself and may say…stupid things…"

Her muscles suddenly tensed up and her hands started to tremble, fuelled by the upcoming migraine. Damn, it had been a long time since she had her last "attack". The wave, saving herself from drowning in the sinking car, the Piranha-Sharks who had tried to eat her, this strange ship and even its even stranger crew were driving her to the edge of insanity! She was used to having everything under control and now she didn't.

She needed to draw!

"…Please…give me something I can draw with…"

Geneva was speechless at the sight she saw before her, the girl's hands were shaking and her eyes were glancing at her surroundings, rapidly shifting focus. Did she have some kind of an epileptic disease? Or was it the shock changing into stress or depression? Geneva thought that was most probable.

Geneva scanned the room. She checked in the lockers and cabinets, until she finally found a small soft pencil and handed it over to Carrie. Holding this blessed thing in her long fingers, Carrie gave a long sigh, as if she'd just taken a long smoke from a cigarette she hadn't used in a long time. Having no paper in sight, Carrie started to draw on the wood of a table. The pen swept fast over the sanded planks, creating first long lines, then some shadows and spots joined her picture.

"It helps me cool off. Most of the time or when I'm just..." She trailed off, not wanting to continue with that sentence when her mind was occupied with her new creation.

"_She`s weird_..." Geneva thought.

Suddenly she heard a large explosion and the next thing happened very fast. Something hit the ship, followed by a great tumult of screams over their heads. The cabin rumbled as dust fell from the ceiling. Geneva ran to the window and looked outside to see the _Wormwood's_ cannons just beside their window.

Quickly Geneva grabbed Carrie's arm and dragged her up from the chair and forced her down on the bed. Carrie glared, irritated at her for touching her without permission and for interrupting her drawing time. But then she heard the screams and howling from outside and she stared up to the ceiling.

"Lock the door after me! Do not open if for any reason until I come back and tell you that the danger has passed," Geneva shouted as she rushed out to join her crew-mates.

Soon Carrie felt the ship jerk harshly again as _Wormwood_ came alongside the Lud Limbo. For what seemed like an eternity, the only sounds that could be heard was shouting, gunfire, and the sickening echo of screams and wicked laughing.

Afraid but curious, Carrie got up from the bed and headed towards the door where Geneva just left. She twisted the knob and it creaked open. She gathered her effects, and tiptoed up the stairs to the deck. Then she pushed the next doorknob to open the main door and chanced a glimpse out.

What she saw was a scene of chaos and bloodshed.

They were not humans, not remotely. Some were huge, some were small: like crazed crabs, with the head of a doll. But whatever their size and shape, they were all possessed by the same relentless rage. Carrie was what looked like a hybrid spider, with its legs decorated with colored barbs and a woman set on its thorax. It was holding what it seemed to be the last remaining parts of a body.

Finnegan Hob was fighting with some huge giants who looked like twisted combinations of a bat and a bear. John Mischief and his brothers had clambered up into the rigging, where he stabbed at a triple-horned monstrosity, which swung from the foresail with its claws hooked into canvas and attacked the brothers with its venomous tail. Malingo, surrounded by several of Mater Motleys seamstresses was valiantly holding them back, whilst Geneva fought against a gigantic spider woman.

What caught Carrie's attention the most, was an old woman, dressed in what looked like a garment made of antiquated dolls. Screaming out orders to her fellow crewmembers, while gracefully dodging various attacks, and defending herself with a large needle. Even from this distance, this woman had an evil aura that Carrie had never felt from someone before.

Unfortunately Carrie couldn't see Candy anywhere. She considered the possibilities that Candy was probably dead, captured or hiding somewhere.

Shuddering Carrie closed the door before anyone saw her and headed back to the room. She sat down on the bed, struggling to collect her thoughts. Her nerves had calmed down and but her face was pale and she was still shaking, made by another problem that has now just come up.

The crew was having a great battle just outside this cabin, defending themselves from a monster-attack!

Carrie didn't even have the slightest idea what Candy had done in Abarat to piss off this Carrion, but whatever it was, it was big enough to make him bring along a gang of monsters to kill them all with! Carrie was hardly in any condition to fly out through the window and swim away because of her leg. The blood alone would attract those weird fishes and her splashing to stay afloat would do little to deter them. It was too late to try and hide, the cabin was too small and she did not have the tiniest chance of outrunning any of them if she decided to go outside.

Frankly, her chances of survival were… limited.

Carrie had a strange feeling in her stomach, that she had been tricked into to this, but right now there was no time to think about it. After pausing for a second, she searched through her pocket. She paused as the traced her finger over it, it wasn't the first time she would use this knife, but it was still sharp enough to give a quick hit to someone's eye or skin. She stuck it carefully under her left bracelet and covered it with her glove.

Then she checked out the whole cabin looking for some weapons or things that she could use. With a buffet of different knifes in the kitchen, she chose a sharp one and stuck it under her belt, behind her back. Noticing a broomstick in the corner, she grabbed and turned it around in her hands.

"_Anything can be used as a weapon, provided you are willing to use it before your opponent."*_

She had no sword or Japanese fighting skills, but at least she had a "diploma" in dirty fighting and some ATC moves learnt from an old friend back in Saint Paul. ATC the goal was simple: _"You always went for the fastest way to cripple or kill your opponent before he could do the same to you."* T_hat was the only rule and she liked it.

Looking back on her half finish drawing, she picked up her pencil and drew the last lines on her new masterpiece. She smiled peacefully as she looked at it.

If she was going die today, she would do it with style. Plus she considered herself in debt, and she always paid her debts.

One way or another.

**P.S *ATC-Anti-Terror-Combat, borrowed these sentences from their website: /**


	5. How to fight dirty

**Chapter Five:**

**I really enjoyed writing this chapter but (just in case) I must warn you: This chapter contains violence, dirty fighting and bad language. If you are younger than thirteen, got a weak heart or soul, I recommend not to read this part. Is for your own good! **

**Thank you Red Stocking for correcting my grammar mistakes and tenses. Thank you! :)**

After receiving an instruction to go to the cabin of Lud Limbo to check if there were any enemies or more of these people from Hereafter hiding inside, Otto Houlihan was looking forward to finally taking care of the brat Candy.

Boarding the Lud Limbo and forcing the rebels to surrender haven't been easy but now they were down, with their noses on the deck like slaves. He'd even gotten the chance to capture some of the people of Hereafter also! The rebels had tried to save some of them from their falling roofs useless plastic boat and help them up into Lud Limbo, especially assisting Candy's parents to safety.

But now they were under his arrest and how sweet that was!

The only bittersweet thing was that Carrion had strictly forbidden him to slay any of the captives without his permission. His grandmother had retreated back to her cabin, deep down in _Wormwood_, and had not overruled his Lord's order_. _She has no desire to see any more blood spilt today, for reasons Otto Houlihan did not know, and now she and some of her ladies in waiting were sewing their precious Stichlings again. Houlihan wondered how could a woman like her have such great patience to sew thousands of Stichlings, without ever getting tired of it?

But Carrion has a gift of imagination in torturing people, perhaps he wanted flay their skins and use them as flags? Chop off their hands and feet and leave them on a deserted Island or in a small boat in middle of the ocean. Open their stomachs, and take out their kidneys and guts while they are still alive? Perhaps he would force Candy to do these torments with her own hands. That would be a beautiful vision to see.

If his day couldn't get any brighter, she was just standing there as he walked into the cabin. A skinny blonde girl with strange torn clothes, half sitting back on the table, her arms crossed with a broomstick in her right hand, like she had been waiting for him.

This must be his lucky day!

"What do we have here?" Houlihan asked, giving her a devilish smile. The girl regarded him with expressionless eyes. He walked closer but she didn't shift a millimeter from her spot.

"Are you the cleaning lady on this boat?" He joked. She gave him a dreadful, silent stare for several moments, as though debating with herself whether to take the next step, and then she said:

"Listen, I've just had an awful day today. I`m wet, tired and there is nothing more I want than leave this fucking boat and move to drier areas. If you please, move away!"

Houlihan's mouth was hanging open. He thought he had heard wrong. Then he started to laugh involuntarily. The situation was ridiculous. There stood a skinny girl who he could easily break into two pieces with his fingers, pretending to be superior to him. Telling him to stand aside so she could walk out like some kind of queen! She must be joking!

"Move away."

"Or else?"

"Lose."

"Has your brain have enough brain cells to figure out that after me, there is an army of Stichlings outside, whom are eagerly waiting for my orders to rip your comrades into pieces? They are under my command and I could easily order them to kill you before you can set a foot outside of this room." It was at least half true; he did have some Stichlings to boss around, but not the entire army. But she didn't know that he was lying so why bother with the truth?

"I`m certainly aware of that! I don't know if I`m having one of my weird dreams again or if Miss Fortuna has a great grudge against me. For wherever I turn, I keep meeting people who want to mess up my life or idiots like you. But if I`m not dreaming, then my chances of getting off this boat alive are pretty slim, but not impossible and you are going to help me."

"Are you crazy?" Houlihan laughed.

Again, the girl paused, as if considering her answer, before she spoke back. "Some people think so, but only in the papers. And they are gone now."

"But not in your mind," Houlihan chuckled as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"That`s not your business. But tell me…are you the captain of the _Wormwood_?"

"That`s correct," Houlihan lied. "But tell me…why would I let you out?" He whispered with a smile on his face as he walked closer. Her face was still hard as stone while she continued looking straight into his eyes.

"You look like a tough guy, strong arms and legs but compared with the other creatures outside, I got lucky!"

"Yeah, lucky it was me who found you! I might be your ticket out but you need to melt down some of your attitude and talk nicely to me." He focused his eyes on Carrie's necklace over her chest. "Perhaps you have something else to offer, to make it worth my while?"

"That`s was not I meant. You look strong but not strong enough I can't fight you down." She said in a low and dangerous voice. "If you are the Captain, I can use you as my hostage when we are going up again." She smirked.

"You must be kidding Blondie?"

"No I`m not."

"_Are all girls like this in Hereafter, skinny, ugly and totally brainless_?" Houlihan bitterly thought.

She was nothing, just skin and bones under dirty clothes. She could barely use her leg, perhaps not her left hand either and what in Isabella's name was she planning to do to him with a broomstick? But at this point, Houlihan began to feel a little uneasy. It wasn't just that the girl's voice that was unnaturally straight and almost devoid of emotion; it was the way she was looking at him. Her gaze, so direct and unwavering, was becoming very irritating.

Otto shook his head and sighed. Then he lashed out with considerable power, a backhand strike to Carrie's cheek. But he met nothing but thin air. At the instant his hand should have hit her; Carrie took one step back and stood there just out of his reach.

"Because of this," she whispered vehemently and brought her broomstick up.

It took a few seconds for Otto to realize that something unbelievable had played out when his face was one big, red blob after Carrie hit him directly in the open mouth with the back-end of the broom-stick. A burning pain exploded behind his eyes as his nerves were set afire with the force of her blow. With a pained yelp, Otto backed away, holding his hand over his bleeding nose and mouth.

"You fucking cunt!" Otto yelled between his hands as a good amount of blood poured out between his fingers, "Yer gunna pay fer that one..."

Wasting no time, Carrie aimed her next blow right below Houlihan's stomach, but he pared it with one of his arms and grabbed it`s edge, snatching it from Carrie's hands. He threw it away. But when he tried to pull out his sword, Carrie kicked him hard with her boot, squarely on his fingers, preventing him from using it. Then a swipe from her right hand across his nose and caught him off balance and knocked him to the floor.

Almost casually straddling him, she threateningly pushed the edge of the knife, which she had hidden under her belt, to his throat. "It was very rude to call me a cunt." Her blonde hair fell over her face.

"You will let me out of this room," she demanded. "Or I will slash your throat."

Houlihan stared up at the suddenly rather threatening blonde. He bared his teeth and there was a good amount of blood in between them.

"You think yer pretty tough bitch," he snarled, "But...you aren't that tough."

White pain, like a thunderclap in her head. Houlihan had hit her with a right swing, on the side of her face. This allowed him a brief reprieve to escape from underneath her, and in doing so he kicked her off of him with his large boot. Carrie flew backwards and stars exploded before her eyes, when she hit her head on the floor with a bang.

Houlihan struggled to his feet. He kicked her hard in her stomach with his boot. She dropped her knife and he kicked it away from her grasp. Before she had time to move away, he was by her side, kicking her hard in her ribs.

Blood was pouring from everywhere on his face but he was still fighting. He didn't have his title as Christopher Carrion's best bounty hunter and assassin, without any experiences of pain, deadly injuries and torture during his long career. That's why he didn't pass out, like a normal guy would have done, when Carrie furiously struck him in the face.

It damn hurt but he had felt worse.

He'd also learned a new lesson; never let your guard down in front of girls. Especially in front of girls like Candy and especially blonde girls like this ragdoll. It wasn't until the third kick that he heard a lovely faint _crack _inside her.

Through some willpower, she didn't know she had, Carrie Reilly found her feet fast, gasping in pain at her broken rib as she moved up and stumbled backwards, away from Houlihan's touch.

Otto tried to take a few more swings over her and this time she managed to fend him off by moving away, but he was still too close. Carrie followed up with a sharp kick to his stomach with her boot, but it was like hitting a sack of bricks. He grunted but that was all.

He looked at Carrie like he was ready to tear her skin from her bones. But she stood there, stock still with her hand over her left ribcage. She just returned his look, but with much more ice.

"You fight well," Houlihan said. "You know how to fight dirty."

She curled her blooded lips into a snarl. "I am _not_ weak."

"Oh-ho? If that's true, then you should be even more afraid of what I'm capable of. I don't feel remorse. Not for anybody, _especially _not for a weak sniveling girl like you."

Again two kicks and a hard one swipe with her right hand, which Otto actually moved to parry. But it was a lazy parry. His arms were so hardened that he didn't really need to put any strength in it, just dash them out in the way of her kicks. Carrie ignored the burning pain from her injured leg and the stabbing from her ribcage.

She was pissed off!

Houlihan smiled cruelly. This girl knew how to fight really dirty. He could allow her a few more hits and then she would know exactly how powerless she was and how worthless her little taunts had really been.

After the sixth punch, Houlihan tired of this game and gave her hard smack to her face and which threw her back over a table, leaving her vulnerable. Black spots danced before Carrie eyes, and she spat out blood. For a moment she could not orient herself at all, she could only feel the touch of cold wood on the left side of her face and through her eyelashes she glimpsed a few lines of her beautiful drawing under her.

Before she knew it, he was on top of her, pinning her down to the table as he half straddled her. There was a twisted look in his eyes as his tongue flickered angrily between his lips.

"Did you think," He snarled, "That you would actually escape? Did you actually think that you would get away?" He suddenly leaned forward, kissing her hard on the lips before biting them with his teeth.

Then his hands were on her throat, and he laughed as he watched her digging her nails into his knuckles, gasping for air. He leaned forwards again, placing his lips on hers and sucked in.

Carrie felt dizzy, exhausted, every joint in her body was aching. Some part of her just wanted to fall and get it over with. Another part of her screamed a silent scream.

He released her, holding her wrists together as he laughed harder when she sputtered, coughed and choked out blood that dripped down her throat. God she looked like a mess; bleeding nose, broken lip and a nice red wound over her right eye. Blood was trailing like small rivers over her chin and throat, coloring her black torn T-shirt. Common girls would have cried or begged for mercy, but this girl didn't. Her face reacted to the pain, but there was no trace of fear or begging for mercy in it. She just returned his look, but with much more ice and hatred.

"Had enough?"

Carrie coughed hard "No…"

"_This girl is so stubborn."_

One quick blow to break her nose would be enough to destroy her stubbornness, and then he would decide how much time he had to have fun with her afterwards.

As Houlihan blitzed his right fist directly towards her nose, intent on knocking it so far into her skull that she would either die instantly or slowly suffocate in her own blood. Carrie moved in the last seconds. By releasing her right hand to hold his knuckles, Carrie managed with her fingers pull up her small switch knife from under her wrist, turning its sharp blade upwards. Moving her head away just in time before Houlihan's hand crashed down; right on the empty spot were her head had been.

She raised her knife and made her move.

The reality came crashing back to him as Houlihan felt the blade sink into his left eye socket and felt it twist inside. Houlihan screamed as he brought his hands to his face. Sticky, bloody fluid flowed out of his left orbit as he stumbled back, freeing Carrie from his weight. Using this opportunity, Carrie took another swing and stabbed him right in the shoulder, then another right on his leg. It caused his balance to disappear and for him to crash back onto the ground again.

Before he could react, a searing piercing pain exploded in him as Carrie's hand grabbed between his legs and clamped down on him like a vice. Yelping in pain and surprise, he tried to leap backwards and away from her, but his legs were useless. The girl was on top of him, her face inches from his, her eyes blazing with fury. He froze in fear as he felt the terrifying tickle of her very sharp blade against his throat.

"When did I give you permission to touch me?" Carrie growled her voice low and menacing.

Houlihan stared back at her with his only eye, in pain and confusion.

She tightened her grip on him, causing his face to twist in agony and forcing a strangled, gurgling noise from his throat. "I said…when did I give you permission to touch me?"

"_Something in her eyes?_ _They remind me of something…?"_

"N…N…Never?" Houlihan whimpered.

Carrie's heart was beating uncontrollably. She could feel her blood pulsating all around her. Fast, too fast. Something blazed in her, but it was not fear or rage, far from it…it was like she was aflame or something. She felt…blood thirsty.

Carrie let out an exasperated breath. "I thought I could use you." Then her bloodied lips curved into an eerily devilish smile as she lifted her knife up. "But I think I've lost my interest in you…"

Suddenly something grabbed a hold of her neck and she felt long cold fingers wrapping around her throat. Carrie coughed, finding it hard to breathe while she fought against Christopher Carrion's hand, as he lifted her up over the floor with her feet dangling in the air.

"Is that so?"

**I had a great time to write this chapter. Talk about Girlpower (I watched Kill Bill and Inglorious Bastards while I wrote this story. Quention Tarantio...You`re a God!) . Name one girl/woman (Except Lisbeth Salander and Beatrix Kiddo.) who got taste to beat the shit out of her enemies. Yes, perhaps I used to much violence in it but I wanted to make a statement. Carrie is not a "nice" girl and definitive not type of person who hides under the bed or table. ****She`s anything but scared.**

**Reviews please!**


	6. Prisoners

**Sorry for this long delay but here comes the next chapter of Solar Eclipse!**

**Great thanks to "Redstockings" for her great help to check and correct my grammar och tenses mistakes! **

**Thank you! :D **

**P.S I borrowed some quotes from the books_ "Abarat" _and _"Days of magic, Nights of war"_ in description of Lord Carrions look! **

**I dont own Abarat series! It belongs to author/director/artist Clive Barker! **

**Enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter six!**

Carrion had few dreams in his life, a very few. His biggest was to surrender Abarat into an absolute midnight. The second couldn't count as a dream, because that dream was also his nightmare. To have someone understand him and love him, seemed impossible since the only girls who could ever have given him this were either dead or too stubborn for her own good.

But the third dream was to once in his lifetime visit "Hereafter".

And now he was here!

He hadn't before felt this amount of sheer happiness overcome him. This was a world unlike Abarat. A world where that girl Candy Quakenbush lives. If the fairytale was true, you don't need to travel to different Islands to visit the hours, the hours come to you! He wondered what a place looked like when the hours paced by. It must be very strange?

But for the most part, his "happiness" was caused by the concluding capture of Candy Quakenbush and her friends. He found joy in the idea of giving them what they rightfully deserved after causing him so much pain and almost destroying his plans.

He hasn't planned to take Candy's family as hostages and some of the survivors from the water, but considering her refusal to cooperate with him, he might have some use of them.

His daydreaming of what kind of tortures he might to use on her family was suddenly disturbed by the sounds of screams inside the enemy's cabin on the Lud Limbo. He listened carefully and then heard another sound coming a minute or so later, this time a howl.

Carrion could recognize the howling or screaming from one person to another and this one, sounded awfully like Houlihan.

It had been too long since he last heard Houlihan screaming in pain. So for a moment he enjoyed the beautiful sound. Then he grabbed his cane and with some curiosity began slowly moving towards the cabin-door.

Neither Houlihan nor Carrie noticed this sudden intruder while they were fighting on the desk. Carrion stood silently behind the door-frame, his eyes drinking in this scene of violence and blood. He loved nothing more than some good old fashioned bloodshed. He only wished it could have been Candy who lay on the table and not this pathetic girl with a blood covered face. But he was impressed she didn't cry or begged for mercy.

She really fought for her life!

Then Houlihan made a mistake, a very bad mistake. Carrion knew before the girl stabbed Houlihans left globe, she had that knife under her glove. He had a thing for details. If he had been more watchful, Houlihan would have noticed the small switchblade on the girl's wrist too. If he did, he wouldn't have removed his hand from her throat to give her a nice bang with his knuckles and three seconds later lose the game and his eye.

The next thing was…beautiful!

What he saw was the girl gave another slash with her knife hard into Houlihan's shoulder, knocking him down to the ground. Then the girl moved her body over Houlihan's and took a nice grip on his treasures and squeezed it hard with her hand. Only a woman could ever dare to attack a man's` privacy like that!

"I said…when did I give you permission to touch me?" The girl growled as she pressed her knife over Houlihan's Adams apple.

Carrion's smirk widened.

"_She has the eyes of a killer!"_

Carrion did not question his "sixth" sense. He knew it like the back of his hand that she was a "natural!" Someone who dares to kill his or her opponent without any remorse or fright.

But unfortunately, he had no choice to stop this funny game. Houlihan was one of his soldiers and this girl was not. Considering she was in the enemies' boat, either as a one of the rebels or one of the survivors, she was an outcast!

After her last word ""But I think I've lost my interest in you…" and before she had the chance to dig her knife into Houlihan, Carrion took the opportunity to walk up and take a tight grip on her throat. He lifted her up and let her feet dangle over the ground.

"Is that so?"

Carrie realized to her horror that this man was no ordinary jackass, not like the ones she'd met before: social derelicts that drank too much and didn't even know what the word gym meant, young wannabe gangsters or gang leaders who just wanted to have good time punching and threatening weak and harmless people.

This guy was not one of them!

The word "dangerous" stood clearly on his forehead; his head looked like some crossover of a skeleton head and something she saw from one of the Hellraiser movies.

…perhaps Pinhead?

His mouth was heavily scarred, like someone had stitched his lips together a long time ago. He had almost no hair, only a few thin locks on the back. But the strangest thing was the huge tank, which was formed like a collar around his neck and covered half of his face. There was something slimy and in snaky whirling inside this tank. It looked like some kind of snake or ugly worms? At the same time barely more than long threads of light.

Carrie didn't know what it/he was but she had absolutely no desire to find out.

As much as she struggled, his hand holding her throat was like iron. A wide grin appeared on the man's scarred lips.

He moved closer and whispered into her ear.

"It's a pleasure to see a young ambitious woman showing what she's capable of, but unfortunately you've just injured one of my men, the game is over and it's time to pay for your fun!"

Carrie could hardly breath; his long fingers clutched her throat, and it hurt so badly. The things that were floating inside his glass-collar began to move faster, pressing against the glass and touching the skeleton-man's lower cheek. Like they were begging him?

"Houlihan! Make sure to take a look in the rest of the rooms on this boat so no one is hiding under the beds or closets. If you`re lucky, perhaps you`ll find another girl that`s more passive for your liking. After that you can put fire to this ship and then you`re free to treat your eye!"

"But Your Highness! If someone deserves to give her the punishment she deserves then it is me!" Houlihan protested as he stared at the struggling girl with a fierce look while holding his palm over his bleeding eye.

Instead Carrion just looked down on him, a bit like a master looks down on one of his dogs who has misbehaved and must consider an appropriate punishment.

"Houlihan! What I saw was you getting beaten by a girl. Again! I decide what I will do to her, not you! Go stop your bleeding and search after more survivors, call some of the stichlings if you`re afraid to be alone!"

Then Carrion swung with his cane and struck it hard on Carrie's head, knocking her unconscious to the ground. He grabbed her body into his arms and carried her back with him up onto the Lud Limbo's deck, leaving Houlihan back on the cabin floor, swearing like hell.

* * *

Later...

Carrie awoke some unknown time after becoming unconscious. She lifted her hand to her pounding head and tried to steady the pain as she slowly moved her head up, off of what appeared to be an old, stiff mattress on the ground.

She sat hazily up, examining her new room, wondering what she had done to get here. Examining herself, she found was still wearing her tattered wet clothes and her hair was a mess. Except for the blood on her T-shirt, the blood was almost gone from her face and throat. The wounds had been cleaned and new bandages of some kind of old cloth had been put on. Also someone also taped her ribcage.

The fog in her brain was beginning to clear, but her throbbing head prevented any real productive thoughts. All she could remember was getting hit real hard on the back of her head.

She had no idea how long she had been unconscious, but she knew that she was hungry, tired, dirty and a prisoner!

It appeared she was in some sort of a big prison cell, with many other people in it. There were about ten-fifteen people in this cell all chained together and she herself was the last of the line in some sort of a half-circle. Some of them were survivors from the great wave. They had been stranded on the roofs nearby the ships until the crew of Lud Limbo saved them from being eaten by the fishes, but unfortunately, they just moved them from another hellfire to another. Some had sober expressions, some crying pitifully, others with scared looks, and some with faces of indifference.

Carrie noticed Candy Quakenbush's family among the group; Melissa and Bill Quakenbush and their two sons. The boys were crying slightly as Melissa tried to soothe their tears by having their heads on her lap, stroking softly with her hands. Bill looked more like a sullen child with his arms crossed. She also saw the remaining crew of the Lud Limbo; Geneva, Tria, Mischief John, Deux-Deux, Mcbean and Malingo.

Their faces looked sad and hopeless.

"So you`re awake now!"

Carrie turned her head to the right, there was a woman sitting next to her, leaning on the wall, smoking a cigarette.

"Dr Gordon!"

"Pleasure meeting you again, Carrie!" Dr Gordon muttered as she took another blow on her cigarette. Dr Gordon's well-cared for hair was a mess, several of her hairpins had gone and her dress was dirty and wet. Her expression looked tired and melancholic.

"Let me guess, husband left without you?" Carrie spoke back as she moved her back and leaned against the wall beside her therapist.

"Not really, I told him that this thing, this "Bandwagon Effect" was ridiculous and nothing to care about! He doubted me and to prove that the warnings were just "bad rumors", me and him made a bet! If something happened before the end of the day, I would do all housework for a month, or at least give him the credit that he was right! But if I was right, he would do all the housework for six months AND the cooking!"

"So he went up to "The Hill", to make sure he was going to survive and left you alone in the house!" Carrie gave her a small smirk as she massaged her poor head.

"Got that right! But I think he`ll need to wait for a while because we are going to be stuck here for a long time," muttered Rebecca as she handed the cigarette to Carrie. "I believe you smoke?"

"Sometimes," Carrie said as she took it. "But I never made it a habit."

"You prefer to paint away your sorrows rather than becoming a smoker? That`s good, better than getting lung cancer."

"How long have I been unconscious?" Carrie asked.

"Just a hour, you have no idea what`s happened while you been in your beautiful dreamland, believe or not, where are not in our world anymore! Where are in "Abarat"!"

Carrie tried to will calm her pounding heart, as the reality of her situation dawned on her.

"So…So wh…what you're saying is that we are in another world?" Carrie said in a shaky voice.

"Yes."

She leaned forward and rested her head in the palms of her hands, massaging her forehead. The memories from the last event on Lud Limbo came crashing back to her head. She remembered that man called Houlihan trying to rape and perhaps kill her, then the huge scary looking fellow with scarred mouth, holding a cold grip on her throat.

"Holy shit!"

"Got that shit right" Muttered Rebecca.

"And there nothing you, I, or any other poor bastards in this place can do now. Just suck it up, survive and maybe things will get better," muttered Bill Quakenbush from his spot.

"How can you say such a thing?" Yelled Melissa, as tears trailed down her cheeks. "These creatures have taken our daughter. You didn't protect her, you didn`t yell or protest when that man took her, you...you... just let them take her! All you have done in this moment is to yell, swear and sulk but never thought for one minute of our Candy!

"Didn't you see with your own eyes that she looked different" Bill shouted back. "Even acting different?"

"Yes! She acts as a mature, brave, young woman and I`m proud of her! But now she`s somewhere in this damned ship and we have no idea if she`s alive or not!"

"Were in _"Wormwood_"? Carrie whispered back to Rebecca.

"If you call this ship that name, you`re definitely right!" Rebecca said back as she took away her cigarette from Carrie's shaking fingers and moved back to her lips.

"It`s she and these weirdo's over there..." Bill cursed, pointing his fat finger over the once crew of Lud Limbo. "Who brought us to this Hell! Does anyone know where they are taking us? Does anyone know what they will do to us? Does anyone know when we are back home again? The answer is NOONE KNOWS SHIT!"

" I can answer your questions Mr Quakenbush," Finnigan Hob hissed as he starred furiously at Bill.

"The first one is that they are taking us to Gorgossium, Lord Carrion`s home Island. The second they probably will either torture us to death and make us examples to others not interfere in Carrion's plans. Or if they are in good mood and someone among us is lucky, you can end as a slave to scrub their floors or work in one of his mines. The third question I cannot answer correctly but the chances right now to get you home again is pretty slim!"

"Thank you for the information! I`m feel much better now hippie!" Bill growled as he pulled his arms together over his big beer-stomach.

"What did you say to me?" Shouted Finnegan, tried to rise up from his set, but was unable to move his feet because of the heavy chains on his ankles.

"You heard me! It`s all your fault we are stuck here! I`m stuck here with weirdos, my sons are pissing their pants in fright and my wife is only thinking about our "dearest "daughter!"

"Oh shut up!" Screamed Melissa.

"...But hopefully, someone is trying to poison our air right now, so we will probably die in lack of oxygen before we`ll reach this Gorgo Island!" Bill shouted as he sulky glared at the cigarette Carrie was holding between her ring and point fingers again. Carrie looked tiresomely at Bill's pathetic form as she blew out another puff of smoke from her lips, while resting her arms over her knees.

"Aren't you too young to smoke girl?" Bill said to her. Looking yearningly at the cigarette.

Carrie rolled her eyes "Nope, I`m borrowing it from Dr Gordon over here so there is no crime involved."

"Oh Hallelujah! We got a head-shrink here, anyone interested some therapy right now? Perhaps a group-therapy?" Bill said sarcastically.

"Just shut up Bill! No one cares about your stupid humor!" Carrie said tiredly as she blew out another smoke.

"My office is closed from now on, perhaps next week Mr. Quakenbush?" Dr Gordon sighed as she removed her last hairpin allowing her grey hair to fall down on her shoulders. Taking one look at Rebecca's hairpin, Carrie quickly snatched the hairpin from her grasp and starred at it. Suddenly a smile came to her lips as she gazed upon it.

"Can I borrow this?"

"Yes, sure, but what are you going to do with a..."

Quickly, Carrie put it in the lock on her left ankle and began to twist and turn it roughly.

"Carrie...you`re a genius!" Dr Gordon whispered, excitement showed in her eyes as she and several other heads looked at Carrie's long fingers as she struggled to open the lock.

"Hey girl! I`m an expert on these things! Give it to me!" Mischief John whispered. Carrie glanced up from her task.

"So am I!"

"I`m a master thief! Just give me the hairpin and I will unlock us all in couple of minutes." Carrie took a long look at Mischief John, then she tossed the hairpin carefully into to his eagerly hands.

"Prove it!"

Reviews please! :)


	7. My dreams?

**Chapter seven**

**Enjoy!**

Carrion chuckled as he leaned forward and looked intensely at Candy's small form, sitting on a hard chair in the middle of the main room in the darkest part of the _Wormwood_.

"Now, be reasonable Candy. You don't enjoy seeing your people or your family suffer, do you? The sooner you tell me what you really are or mostly your dreams, the sooner this entire conflict ends. Now I will give you one chance to redeem yourself. Tell me your dreams."

"I have told you a thousand times! I`m just a normal, high-school girl with no special abilities who just came across this world by accident and my dreams are nothing of your concern and nothing special either!" Candy angrily yelled back.

"I shared some of it with you back at "Dead Man's` house but you didn't like it. You and your grandmother are wrong about me!"

Quickly, Carrion turned around. He slammed his hand down on desk front of Candy. She flinched back in her chair in this sudden movement.

"Your only concern is if I decide to let you live..." He said dangerously, "...Or not."

An evil grin spread across his face, Candy couldn't help to shiver while his penetrating eyes starred at her intensely.

"Dreams are so much more than a pleasant fantasy in your brain, either when you`re asleep or awake. It is the most private part of your soul, no one can read, see or even listen to it. Is it in our dreams that we can reach our full potential, when your body cannot or your life cannot share, or you do not have the bravery to do it. Dreams can inspire you to take chances, or teach you to fear death and is our dreams that show what the deepest parts of our souls yearns for most."

Candy glared back at Carrion with furious eyes.

He allowed himself one moment to think of her in a beautiful nightmare of torture and pain, before without warning, Carrion turned on his heel and marched from the room with his black cape trailing behind him.

"Take your time to think again. What`s most important to Candy Quakenbush? Your dreams or your family?"

The door slammed behind him, leaving Candy in utter silence. Then she rushed towards the door and began hitting her fists hard against it.

"RELEASE MY FAMILY YOU MONSTER! LET THEM GO!" She yelled, tears beginning to run down her cheeks.

"I'VE ALREADY GIVEN YOU MY DREAMS, WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME?"

* * *

Carrion was annoyed.

This girl has caused nothing but trouble for him and his plans to take over Abarat and surrender it to an "Absolute Midnight". He found it impossible to focus on his job or even listen to what the council or spies were saying.

She had completely consumed him; every moment was centered on her.

Ever seen that day he first saw her face on that screen, he felt they were connected somehow.

But how?

His mind raced with questions. He felt his pulse quickening just thinking about the last girl he ever felt this way about before.

Boa.

A beautiful loving princess who had caused him nothing but pain and suffering.

He had suppressed any memory of her for so long now, that remembering her again when he looked into Candy eyes, brought that dull ache back into his heart…but also fury! Not only had she attracted him, he felt a boiling hatred in his chest. He hated her, because she stood for what had broken his heart in pieces and left it with a huge scar.

He could easily end her life and be done with it! And yet, he simply had the irresistible urge to find out who she really was. He needed to know her secrets and dreams before he was able to truly show her his wrath.

He would enjoy taking out his fury on her. Take out her different colored eyes while she was alive and awake and give them to his "dearest" grandmother.

Just outside the door. Kasper Wolfswinkle was waiting eagerly for him. Ignoring Wolfswinkle's smiling face and his deep rehearsed bow, Carrion walked past him and started to move through the dark corridors.

"My Lord! Please forgive me..." Wolfswinkle said as he tried to run after him like a hungry hyena. " I couldn`t help but listen to your conversation with the girl."

Most likely eavesdropped during the whole interrogation than just "accidently" hear it, but Carrion ignored Wolfswinkle's schmoozing and continued to walk fast through the corridors of _Wormwood. _How many times had he fantasized about breaking the man's no-good neck?

"...The way this awful girl was talking to you, a bigger threat or perhaps some torture would teach her to shut her mouth and teach her a proper lesson."

"I prefer to her mouth open to speak Mr. Wolfswinkle than shut," Carrion said with a dry voice. "But if you can change her mind…you can take care of our... dear guest Candy, and you can have all your fun with her, but no blood will spill or any serious injuries befall her until I give you my permission."

"You are so kind Sir! It…It...It would be a great pleasure to do it sir!" Mr. Wolfswinkle said suddenly thrilled and tried to resist this urge to jump up and down like a crazy kid.

"But is there anything more I can do for you your Highness?" Wolfswinkle asked, with his voice sweeter than honey.

Not caring and only half listening, Carrion toyed with the nightmares in his collar.

"_What`s the matter my sweets? Are you hungry? Are you looking for fear? I wish I could produce my own fears, but unfortunately I cannot feel it for you anymore...You want Candy? You could feel her fears despite her strong facade? Oh I wish I could give her to you right now but you need to wait! I`m not finish with her! Not yet!"_ Carrion thought as he petted his beloved nightmares.

Suddenly he turned towards Wolfswinkle.

"In fact, go and fetch one our other "guests", I need to talk one of them in "private"."

"Is there a special "guest" you want me to get?" Mr Wolfwinkle mused.

Carrion smiled his gruesome smile.

"Yes. There is..."

**;)**


	8. Carrie meets Carrion again

**Chapter eight- Carrie meets Carrion again!**

"Get your hands away from me you ugly bastard!" Carrie shouted as she wiggled against the iron grip around her middle, beating her fists against the Stichling's back and kicked as hard as she could on its legs. But she was no match for the giant creature.

It had happened too fast; one moment she had tried to unlock the lockers from her chains, then a strange man with a yellow suit together with two gigantic creatures had come into the prison. With a fat finger, the man with the yellow suit pointed at the direction where Carrie sat and just simply said.

"That one!"

Then they unleashed her from the chains and one of Stichlings grabbed a hold on Carrie's waist and tossed her over his shoulders.

She struggled and screamed, kicking and punching at him but her efforts were in vain and her poor rib bone pained her.

What where they taking her?

Carrie was led to the other side of the ship, the Stichling opened one of the ships many rooms, went in and dropped her body on a huge bed. After that he closed the door and just locked it.

With her face and chest down on the soft mattress, her body laid all stretched out, for a moment she laid there all still, trying to ignore the pain she felt. The Stichling had thrown her body hard on the bed, which caused her ribcage and some of her wounds to hurt again.

It`s softness was so warm and comforting that she almost forgot why she was here. This was the first time from a long tumult of near death experiences, drowning; fighting, screams and being held as a captive, she finally got some minutes of peace and quiet for herself.

But she was still in the danger zone and she had no idea what they were going to do with her, but just for a minute she wanted to let her body rest, let her brain shut down and forget where she was.

About five or ten minutes, she let herself doze for a bit, but then her inner warning sirens forced her to slowly raise her head up from the pillow.

_"That`s enough, you`re still in this bloody ship and you need to get out!"_

She saw that her surroundings were luxurious and when she was able to orient herself, she slowly rose her body up and placed her feet on the dark red wood floor under her.

The first thing she noticed was the darkness. There was no window in here, only two small oil-lamps, glowing slightly over the bed she was laying on. She could feel she was on a huge four-poster bed. The bed covering was black and silky. When her eyes adjusted with the lack of light, she noticed some kind of circles and swirls of deep red and grey on it. The walls, ceiling, and floor had been constructed out of dark red wood, like Mahogany. From the light of the lamps, the room caused a strange aura of comfort but also darkness and the colors switched between all sorts of red and brown on the walls and the furniture. But in the corners, where the light from the lamps couldn't reach, it was still total black.

There was a sink with a mirror beside the bed so she walked over to it and looked in the mirror. Her face was almost blood free, thanks to Rebecca's small treatment, but she had a nice swollen lip, a slight bruise on her left eye and her hair was a total rat's nest! She turned on the faucet, let the water fill it up and stuck her head under the water. It was cold but it felt so good and refreshing. It helped to clear her mind and prepared her for the next upcoming event.

Even if her eyes and ears were surrounded by cold water and her mind was relaxed, she could feel his presence behind her.

He had never shown his presence during her ten minutes of coma or when she woke up. Even when she had left the bed she hadn't seen him. Perhaps he had wanted to examine her silently, see what kind of character she was and then perhaps surprise her.

Violent thoughts like _"Why the hell are you staring at me?" _and _"What the hell do you want_?" crossed her mind as she avoided looking back.

She pulled her head out of the cold water, turned it off and grabbed a towel that was folded on a table beside her. She put the white cloth over her hair, sat down the bed and scrubbed it.

Out of the corner of her eyes, the man walked silently towards her.

Carrie never let her guard down, never once.

Was this one of his tactics, to frighten his captives when they'd put their weapons down? She`d let him think that she was a harmless, dumb girl who thinks she`s safe and sound in this red room, when he makes his move, he`ll see what kind of girl he`s dealing with.

Carrie kept on scrubbing the towel calmly on her wet hair, pretending he wasn't here in this room.

"Stop acting I`m not here girl!"

Carrie removed the towel from her head, glancing through her tangled blond hair, she saw him standing two feet from her.

It was the same man, or the creature, that has grabbed her throat and almost choked her to death before she was able to put her knife into that other bastard chest! His worms, or what she should call it, were invisible at first, but when his whole body came into the damp light, their "bodies" began to lighten up again, giving this man's hollow face a very creepy light. The muscles in his face had half withered away, leaving his bones to jut through his parchment skin. His eyes had sunk into his sockets, and the flesh around them had become translucent and was filled with tiny tics. To compensate his withered head his body was tall and huge. His suit was covered with gold and silver texture beaded in its midnight black armor, together with a long black coat over his shoulders.

Carrie noticed, how he seemed to be drinking in the sight of her. Examining her like she was some sort of exotic creature.

With her hands each side of the bed, she turned her face up to face him and gave him a death glare.

"Why are you staring at me?"

"How much do you actually weigh?" Carrion muttered as he stared at this girl under him.

"None of your concern. Who are you?"

He stared at her for a few moments, and then, he shook his head. "Girl! Do you have any idea who you`re talking to? You should be honored for being in my presence instead in that dark prison!"

"I don't care, what matters to me is to leave this boat. What do you want with me?"

An awful, wide smile spread on his lips that spoke of anything but enjoyment as his black body swept closer to Carrie, keeping his hands folded behind his back.

"You fight well for a girl; perhaps the women in hereafter are much stronger and more stubborn than men, not to mention they seem to prefer to have little clothes as possible."

Her eyes narrowed at her new acquaintance. Carrie wasn't amused by his "jokes" or the way he was staring at her. If he was planning to rape her, he needed to think again.

"What I wear is my own business. But your "comrade" wanted to take a closer look at me. That`s why I look like this!"

"You`re very straightforward, you don't like to hear flattery and don't care who you`re talking to."

Carrie regarded him with a mask of indifferent as she spoke back. "Don't care…"

The reason why Carrion chose to meet Carrie again was that this girl didn't have any resemblances with Candy or Boa. She possessed a strong spirit, he could feel that, but her attitude was cold and her look seemed trashy and dirty, totally opposite from the other girls, which he was very happy for.

Either way, he did not associate any sad or horrible memories her, nor did she have any magic abilities up her sleeve. She was a pleasant distraction from the other girl upstairs. He felt no remorse over hurting innocent souls and this one shouldn't be any different. Turning his icy gaze upon her, he scrutinized his female victim.

"But you should care, I`m Christopher Carrion, Lord and prince of Midnight. I`m the one who is holding your dear neighbors captive, together with the rebels of Lud Limbo in my hands. I can give the order to kill them immediately, in front of you, if you`re not nice…"

Her gaze was fixed on the wall in front of them while the recent events he mentioned flicked through her mind. "_Shit!"_

"But if you want to blame someone for all these mess and your distress, I suggest you blame Candy."

Carrie moved her eyes back at Carrion.

"Why Candy?"

"When she took her first steps here in Abarat she did nothing but cause trouble for me. She`s bold and rebellious and doesn't want to tell me who she really is or what her dreams are. It`s her fault that her family and you are stuck here."

Carrie got off the bed, standing before him. It made her realize how tall he was towering over her, but she kept on looking into his eyes.

"How did you meet her?"

"Beg your pardon?" Carrion narrowed his eyes at this strange creature's sudden question.

"How, when and where did you meet her for the first time and what did she do to cause you "pain"?"

"…The Universal Eye," he whispered slowly back, his eyes began to soften a bit as he thought back.

"When I first time saw her, I knew that she was something very special. I wanted to meet her personally so I ordered my hunters to catch her, but she was too stubborn to get herself caught. I did finally catch her but she refused to listen what I had to say or even care for my feelings." His voice grew louder despite the fact that he was coming closer to Carrie's face.

"She`s very selfish, my girl! She prefers to keep her dreams to herself than telling me about them, in return she has her whole family trapped on this ship, including you."

Carrie removed her eyes from Carrion and for a minute she considered Carrion's tale. Then she turned her head up again and replied with a neutral tone:

"You are pathetic!"

"What!" Carrion took a step back, startled by her sudden reply.

"Things that really annoy me are people who blame others for their mistakes or misfortunes. People who think they are innocent and take no responsibility for their actions. I don't know how much Candy is responsible for all this shit, but don't act as though your hands are clean!"

Her arms crossed, glaring daggers at him. Carrion could feel the anger seething from her.

"From my point of view and from experiences, no one is innocent; we only have different degrees of responsibility. You want me to blame this girl for all these things you have mentioned, but you should have thought better than kept on chasing her like a lovesick puppy."

Perhaps it was the first time in his life, but Carrion was speechless.

He'd learned to read body language very well from people he had frightened, threatened and tortured. He could tell when a victim wanted to run or when they were going to lose control and let their fears flow in their minds.

But this girl had her mind completely under control. Ice cold!

No tears, no begging, no attempt to run away from him, not even a shake in fear like his former victims. Her muscles were tensed up but she didn't remove her eyes from his. Very few people have ever approached him like this or even insulted him so openly.

Enraged at hearing from a total stranger that he was pathetic and a "lovesick puppy", Carrion couldn't help to screech his teeth's hard.

Carrie knew that she was crossing over an open fire. This is not a man you should mess with or insult. But the way he tried to manipulate and lure her to believe he`s on the good side. It annoyed her.

Deciding she didn't like him, Carrie said impatiently;

"Am I sort of a punch ball to beat when someone bothers you? I can see in your eyes that you`re pissed off about something and want it to go away."

Unable to control herself, she gave him one of her smirks. "Am I`m right? "

With those words he grabbed her hair and made her to face him as he spoke back with ice in his voice

"I think I will rip your tongue out from your mouth after I have finished with you. But to answer one of your silly questions, I do have "plans" for you and you better switch your mood to suit it better!"

She yelped as tendrils of pain shot through the back of her head. Then he threw her forcefully back onto the bed.

Carrie begun to scream out some nasty words when her eyes saw something gleaming and dangling in Carrions right hand. Her words choked in her throat as Carrion smiled wickedly at her stunned expression.

"Or you`ll lose this!"

Carrion dangled the silver chain between his fingers, absently sliding it back and forth. He moved it in front of her eyes, smiling, noticing how she followed the necklace with her gaze. He had quickly guessed that this thing was important to her.

"To learn your enemy's strength, you also need to learn their weakest points."

Curiously, he undid the clasp, and looked closely at the small portrait inside the pendant.

"Oh how lovely."

It was a portrait of a very beautiful woman. Her hair was long and had the color of wheat, her lips were full and red and her eyes had the bluest color he ever seen on a person before.

"Your mother?"

Looking angrily back at him with one eye, Carrie gave a small nod with her head.

Carrion examined the picture more closely, comparing the woman lovely features with the girls`.

"You got her hair but your face…" Carrion took another look on Carrie face. "Is too plain….More like comparing a peacock with a crow." The woman in the portrait was very feminine and had passive look, but the girl's appearance was sharper and had a small touch of masculinity in it.

He couldn't place the girl's face to be either beautiful or ugly, but….Carrion conceded…it was…interesting.

"You`re probably more Daddy's girl, aren't you?"

Rage filled her suddenly as Carrion mentioned her "daddy." She knew she didn't look like her mother at all and most of her features came from…him. But the way he said "daddy`s girl" was unforgivable. She lunged at him, but before she reached him, he moved his hand too fast and punched her directly in her chest, making her fall back on the bed again. The punch made it hard for her to breathe and she tried to cough some air.

"I think I hit a weak spot again?" Carrion asked wickedly and without remorse. "But enough of this "pleasant" talk. Let`s get to my business here."

With a smug smile of his face, Carrion raised his hand up to his glass-collar and began gently pick up one of his nightmares from the blue fluid. He lifted it out and studied it with a curious tenderness.

"The reason you`re here, is because my dear nightmares are a little bit hungry. I cannot feed them anymore because my lack of fear, so I need a replacement to give them what they deserve."

The nightmare writhed around in Carrion's hand, looking hungrily at Carrie's form.

Carrion leaned forward; his next cold words made the hairs on Carrie's neck stand on end. "They love fear and you will be an excellent meal for them. You`re lacking in fear right now but I think we can change that!"

He let his nightmare go. It wiggled out from his hand and fell down to the floor and began to slither up to the bed to where Carrie sat.

"Keep this thing away from me!" Carrie hissed as her eyes fixed upon the grisly, wormlike being that approached her. She backed against bed frame and the huge black pillows.

"Why won't you to beg me to stop? Cry for your precious life to be spared from this horrible nightmare!" Carrion smiled up at her, eyes flashing with that dangerous amusement. "Please… beg me!"

"Just kill me then, you sadistic monster! I don't fear death! I don't fear you! Damn you to hell, though it seems that you're already there!" Carrie yelled. The way her eyes sparked with fury, made Carrion hesitate for a second.

Then, a noise from over their head broke his thoughts.

"What the…?" He listened carefully

Loud screams could be heard from above deck, someone yelling commands to others as many heavy feet were running back and forth on the deck. Were they under attack?

Carrion looked up, then back at Carrie.

"I think we need to cancel our "dinner", my dear," he growled as he walked back to the door to open it and check what was going on upstairs.

Carrie couldn't help to give a long sigh of relief, in which to Carrion's ears couldn't go unnoticed. Just as he grabbed the door handle, he turned around as looked back at his "guest", still sitting in the same position, with his nightmare just two meters from her.

"But on other hand… just because I`m not going to enjoy the "dinner" with you, doesn't mean it need to starve…._Thakram noosa rah. Haas!" _

_

* * *

_

Ten minutes earlier…..

"You daughter of a bitch, whore, slut and freak, you nasty little…." Houlihan kept on swearing as he grabbed more cleaning tissues from the kitchen to stop his bleeding eye.

There were no survivors left on this damned boat. He couldn't find another girl or even a rebel to spill out his frustrations on! He has got beaten by a girl, AGAIN!

And to make even worse, in a fight! A pure, dirty fight with no magic or supporting comrades to interfere in their games. And he lost!

She`s even worse than Candy!

But she is going to be tortured and killed by Prince of Midnight himself and who's better than Christopher Carrion to give his victims a proper ticket to a living Hell!

That was Houlihan's only bittersweet comfort!

Just as he prepared to grab a burning oil-lamp and smash it`s substance on to the floor, the lights in the cabin room flickered and, after a moment of light and silence, gave out completely, leaving him in utter darkness, including the lamp he was holding.

"Huh?"

Of course he wasn`t afraid of darkness, he literally served the lord of the darkness himself, but he could fell he wasn`t alone in the cabin anymore.

A creaking sound started to fill the silence.

"Cleck, cleck, cleck, cleck..."

The sound seemed to come from the corner of the cabin. It sounded like breaking wood with the combination of clicking.

He listened carefully and heard another sound a minute or so later, this time a little closer. He grabbed his sword from his side and began slowly scanning his surroundings. First he saw nothing, the only things he _could_ see were the broken table where he, a moment ago, almost straddled his body over that girl.

Nothing there.

"Cleeeeeeckkk…"

Then something started to crawl against the back of his body. Before he had a moment to think, Houlihan felt some sort of very sharp teeth latch on to his left shoulder. He felt the veins and muscles in his neck being pulled sharply. He couldn't breathe. His head felt dizzy as he struggled against this thing. That had clutched it`s teeth's deep but taking a hard grip of its hairy gross body Houlihan managed to remove its mouth and throw it away. It landed on the table and quickly got up on its feet and hissed slowly at him.

Before Houlihan had any chance to prepare himself, the creature jumped directly over his face….

**Reviews please!**


	9. Try to escape

**It fells so good to update another chapter! It`s not easy to have time to sit down and write, rewrite, checking twice, try to discuss yourself how much you need to add or "kill your darlings" etc!**

**But most importantly; How much should I write each chapter and how much details do I really need to put down in the story? This chapter is over 5000 words (WOW) and alot is happening in it. But I wonder sometimes, I`am giving the readers enough excitement and intrigues to read more? Or, (despite the long chapters) to slow?**

**Please review and share your thoughts with me! Both supporting and critical! **

**I want to say thank to "Red Stockings" for her great support by helping me with the spell and the grammar checking and most of all her valuable advices! :-) Thank you! **

**Chapter nine.**

Carrion turned to face the group of Stitchlings who were causing a great commotion on the Lud Limbo's deck. The argument seemed to quiet down as Lord of midnight entered the deck and began to walk towards them.

"What on earth is going on over there?" Carrion asked, and he stepped out of the shadows and up to the front of the deck. He looked at the still burning Lud Limbo and stared at the turbulence on its deck. The Stitchlings lay all over the deck floor in bits and pieces.

Houlihans's head came into view, wide eyed and pale, lips gibbering in a silent monologue. No one rushed to help him as he dragged himself towards Carrion, his leg dangling uselessly behind him, trailing a route map of blood. He had numerous cuts on his arms as well as his face. His face no longer resembled that of the man Carrion last saw.

"What happened?" shouted Carrion as he looked down at Houlihan's wounded body.

The answer came vibrating through the timber of the boat, from where Houlihan had just escaped. Carrion looked up.

Despite it's size, it's arms were long with two knife-sharp fingers on each side and six sharp spider legs balanced the massive creature. It's head, which looked almost like a Mantisac, and when t opened it's mouth, Carrion noticed big and serrated teeth. Huge fangs hung out of its mouth giving it a fearsome appearance.

Never had Carrion seen such a creature before!

Houlihan clutched at one of the Stitchlings while stammering with a shaky voice, "It came...me..it attacked just after you...left…it...it`s…." Houlihan had completely stopped making sense and was simply repeating vowels.

Suddenly, the creature attacked one of the stitchlings. It lunged at it at such a quick speed, and despite its small size, began throwing around the poor stitchling like a rag doll.

"I never thought they possessed such a triumphant card," Carrion muttered as he stared fascinated at this small hellhound creature.

In one fluid motion, he moved his body over the rail and over to the Lud Limbo's deck, spread his arms out and stepped closer to the creature, as if to embrace it.

"Such a wondrous little creature, let me take a look at you?"

The spiderlike creature didn't look bemused at all at this new encounter, it hissed bitterly while Carrion walked closer to it, still holding a big part of the now dead stitchling's body in it's mouth.

"May I ask what is going on? Why is this ship not destroyed and why are the prisoners not yet dead and slaughtered?"

Not surprised at his grandmother's appearance and her old habit of pinching her red-blood, long needle between her bony forefinger and thumb when she was irritated. In which was always. Carrion declined to turn his head around and continued to watch the small angry creature instead.

"Houlihan was just going to, but it seems he's been interrupted by this little thing."

"That thing?"

Mater Motley moved forward and took a closer look at the creature. "As I thought…another toy made by that Geshrat! A better one than the last one he made of rope and sails, but still, it's nothing but a scrap of garbage."

"That garbage has just sliced almost twenty Stitchlings into pieces with its teeth!"

"Twenty Stitchling more or less, I can make more. Get rid of it. Kill that Geshrat or find the original source from where he created it."

Mater Motley looked towards the Lud Limbo's cabin door. "Probably he is somewhere inside this boat. Come with me!" She ordered. Her grey dress dragged like a long torn tail along the floor behind her as she walked towards the main door of the Lud Limbo.

With great success, Carrion fought against the need to give this hag a piece of his mind (And some of his nightmares.) To order him around like a teenager again was insulting, yet he followed her into the Lud Limbo.

Carrion stared at the back of his grandmother's head, her long grey hair was tried back in a greasy plait which hung down her back like the rope of a noose. If she turned around now, he would see her old wrinkled face contorted with concentration and cruelty.

"I heard you have taken Candy Quakenbush to one of the red chambers? Is your urge for this girl so deep that you couldn't wait? Mater Motley spoke back.

Carrion smirked. "Your spices need to be more careful what they see and hear. That Quackenbush girl are still in with Mr Wolfswinkel and I haven't touched her. What your spices saw was another girl with quit some temperament. She beat Houlihan you know!"

"I see, and then I hope this girl have taken care all your needs and you have got rid of her."

"I gave her one of my nightmares as a present before I leaved so don't "worry" about it!" Carrion muttered as they both entered the Lud Limbos cabin._ "But she didn't satisfied "my needs", more like intruding something else grandmother."_

"Be careful, Christopher," Mater Motley warned. "I'm warning you."

**Back on Wormwood's deck…**

Malingo and Mcbean stood by the side of a door. They were keeping a lookout for Geneva, Finnegan and Deux-Deux, as they left the room they'd been hiding in and started up the next corridor. Carefully they paced, taking small baby steps. They checked the first corridor on the right. Geneva looked back and shook her head, "_no Stitchlings," she said_ and waved her hand to come forward.

Geneva pointed her finger in an easterly direction. "I remember they took us to the cells through here and if we go to the right, we`ll find the entrance."

The big group of the crew from the Lud Limbo including Candy's family moved towards her. Malingo continued to check the other corridors and listen carefully at closed cabin doors.

"We can't use the Lud Limbo anymore, our only option is to create a Glyph, a very small glyph to take us out of here as fast it we can!"

"What about my daughter?" Melissa whispered as she stared wide eyed at the strangers who had just freed her, her family and the rest of the citizens of Chickentown from the dark cells. Mischief John's master fingers had unlocked their chains and the door with a simple hairpin.

"Candy and Miss Beserwisser can take care of themselves! Let`s go!" Bill said as he tried to push Malingo and Finnegan away to get to the entrance.

"Bill!"

"We can't just leave her and Carrie here in this hellhole!" Rebecca Gordon protested.

"And what if those things see we have escaped? They will search for us. What then?" Bill yelled. "Kill or be killed is most important here and we don't have the slightest idea of where they are!"

"Well let's vote," Malingo replied. "Who wants to save somebody's life? Or who wants to be heartless and just leave them here. In which case, we might as well be called murderers ourselves!" He said, glaring daggers at Bill. "I will not leave Candy to the monsters and to Carrion! I will go and find her, with or without you!"

"I will go with you," Rebecca said calmly as she approached Malingo. "They have taken Carrie and I'm not leaving her!"

Bill had a vein in his forehead that often pulsed when he was angry, and it was currently in overload. "OK! Go and find Candy, but forget about the Goth girl! She's just a trash-trailer girl," Bill growled out. He didn't understand why they were all so protective of some stupid trashy girl they had barely met for five minutes.

"She is not a "Trash-trailer" and no one is leaving her!" Rebecca shouted.

"And we wont," Finnegan assured the company. He was wearing the same expression as Rebecca and Malingo, whilst staring at Bill's fat form. "Me, Rebecca and Geneva are going downstairs to search for them, the rest of you need to find a way out. Malingo, you need to stay with the group since you're the only one with the magic abilities to create a Glyph to get us out of here. Find a small, unguarded place on the other side of the Wormwood to create small Glyph, while Carrion and the Stitchlings are occupied on the Lud Limbo's deck. You'll need to wait there until we return. But…" Finnegan hesitated. "If they see you before we come back…fight … or flee."

"Who decided you were in charge? Why can't we just jump down into the water and swim to the nearest island? That would be a lot easier," Bill argued.

The group's only response was to glare at him. "If you want to suffer as man-eating fish chew your bones clean, then go ahead!" Melissa yelled in frustration. And that was the end of the discussion.

"Is everyone agreeing to this?" Finnegan asked.

Everyone nodded.

"Just bring her back," Melissa begged as her eyes filled with unshed tears.

"I will," Finnegan promised, as the two groups separated. The big team began to head to the other side of the ship with Bill huffing the whole way behind then.

_The calm before the storm, _thought Melissa, as she watched her sulky baby husband. _I just hope he doesn't make any stupid or heroic decisions again._

Ricky grasped the hand of his mother firmly. Melissa brushed his dark brown hair from his face as they followed the other Abaratian's through the deep dark hallways. Only a few high powered flashlights illuminated their path

"Mommy, I'm scared, " he said, tugging on his mother's sleeve. "I know honey," she replied, "I am too."

"Are we going home now?"

"Not yet sweetie, we need to get out from this boat first and to a place of safety."

"What's happened to Candy?"

"I don't know, but Dr Gordon and…the others are going to search for her and Carrie."

"Who's Carrie?"

"A young girl who is lost and alone just like Candy…" Melissa said as she glanced worriedly back over her shoulder.

The small team, Finnegan, Rebecca and Geneva slowly made their way back to the darkness of the Wormwood, all of them unaware what had happened to Candy and Carrie.

**Carries POV on Wormwood:**

The last thing she remembered before the pain got her was the creepy wormlike creature snaking up to her neck and it staring with it's petal shaped eyes into hers.

At first, she didn't notice it coming, then colored splotches appeared out of thin air. She tried to blink them away, but they just kept multiplying.

It felt extremely freaky and finally, she couldn't see.

_Then the agony came._

_This was worse than a sword, the pain worse than anything she'd imagined or dreamed. Because when she opened her eyes to get away from this hallucination, her vision wasn't right and she saw all kind of things. Unable to concrete or steady herself, there was nothing Carrie could focus on. It was a mass of abstractions and obscurity. It felt she was on some sort of carousel, twirling around and around. But one thing was almost steady in this world. _

"_It" appeared in all repulsive glory around her as a procession of monstrosities, all gloating, glaring and gaping. They rose around her, near the bed, but never close enough to touch her, even if they wanted to._

_For a moment, Carrie remained rooted to the bed, her eyes frozen on the horrifying creatures around her. Then suddenly something took a hold of her left wrist and started to drag her out of the bed. She realized what was happening._

"_NO! No… Not it… Don't…" She started to move and fight, not screaming but roaring in anger, tears coming to her eyes, and then the "thing" took a harder grip on her foot._

_She felt the throbbing in the back of her eyes, the pain radiated all the way to the back of her neck._

"_What has he done to me?"_

_A part of her mind was still her, wondering what the hell was going on but it was so far back, it was almost unheard. Was she hallucinating or were these freaks real? _

_The headache seemed to be getting worse and worse and at the same time the creatures were getting nearer. They began to crawl up on top of the bed. With great difficulty she tried to control the pain and the terror by closing her eyes and taking deep breaths. _

"_You're not real, not real!"_

_It helped a bit, but when she opened her eyes again, she could recognize the contour of the door few meters away from her._

_The door wasn't far away; if she could just get there she'd be all right. _

_The moment a wormlike creature touched her face, she moved away from its grasp and jumped out from the bed. Not wasting any time to watch the small horrible monsters crawling on the empty bed were she had been lying two seconds ago, Carrie rushed towards the door, opened it and shut it behind her._

**Carries POV back in reality:**

As if she had recently been asleep and had awaked from a bad dream, she took and great gasp and blinked her eyes open. Now she was outside the room and in the corridor, there were no monsters in sight. Carrie tried to slow down her speeding heart as her brain tried to focus. Her surroundings weren't spinning like before but her head was still hurting like hell.

She felt her knees buckle and she fell to the hard floor, her head pounding. Finally releasing an imprisoned sob, she held her head in her hands.

But it wasn't over. Something strange came over her again. Little sparks kept dancing in her vision, and an oily, metallic scent was beginning to dominate her sense of smell. She screamed out again as the pain hit harder than before, causing her to scrabble across the floor, struggling to breath, she couldn't get air in, her lungs couldn't expand any further.

"_What in hell is going on?" _

In the corner of her eyes, she saw a shadow coming slowly towards her.

**Meanwhile Back on the Wormwood's deck:**

"Nice timing!" Malingo whispered, peering through the main door of the Wormwood's wheelhouse where they were hiding.

"I thought this escape was a little bit too easy. Almost every badass is outside and watching that spectacle down there!" Mcebean whispered back.

The others in the team stared wide-eyed at the carnage. They themselves were still trying to comprehend what the hell was happening. From Melissa, Bill and their son's point of view, it looked like a scene from Jack the Ripper. The Stitchlings laid all over the deck floor, both on the Lud Limbo and the Wormwood, in bits and pieces. Stitchlings were running around the decks like crazy on the Wormwood, looking if they were trying to catch something that was very fast and very deadly.

"This is our chance, let's run!"

"Sorry to cut in, but we still have one more problem," Mcbean stated. "There are still some Stitchlings guarding Wormwood and if we go out, they will see us immediately!"

"I think I've got an idea," Mischief John said looking back at the turmoil outside.

"You think?" Mcbean asked skeptically.

"Actually," John Mischief smiled as he stood, "I know I've got an idea."

"No you don't! You always steal my ideas! This plan is Idiotic! This is Suicide! Go for it! We all going to die!" All the John brothers shouted in a bad chorus!

"Oh shut up!"

Ignoring his younger brother's protest, he opened the door and ran out to the other side of the ship, ducking behind some crates before any Stitchlings could notice him.

Seeing that the coast was clear, Mischief John ran further and then quickly jumped over to Lud Limbo's deck. He landed just behind the backs of the Stitchlings, who were too occupied with trying to control the strange creature's temperament and the same time avoid it's sharp teeth.

Everywhere, bodies were littered on the floor, torn to pieces and lying in odd and distorted positions with dark greasy mud all over the deck, but Mischief John ignored it.

"What in Lordy Lou is he doing?" Malingo wondered curiously.

Checking if the coast was clear one last time, Mischief John bolted toward the masts and quickly jumped up. He started climbing towards the top, stopping fifteen feet off the ground. Then he started to scream as loud as he could.

"Hey you fucking bastards! Come and get me!" Mischief John howled. Sticking two fingers in his mouth and whistling. "Over here!"

"And that's his plan?" Malingo muttered.

"Typical!" Mcbean snorted. "But the good thing about Stitchlings is that Mater Motley forgot to add bigger brains in them, so here is our chance."

As soon the last Stitchling abandoned the ship to join it's comrades attempt to capture the famous Mischief brothers, he and Mcbean took off in the direction of the now unguarded side of Wormwood with the rest of the group trailing behind.

**Candys POV**** under Wormwoods deck.**

Pulling the buckles that secured the six hats to Wolfswinkle's head had knocked them off, taking with them his magical power. It hadn't been an easy task, but she managed to do it. Candy didn't remember much how she did it but luck was on her side again and before Wolfswinkel could do anything to stop her or even pick up his precious hats, her hand smashed right on Wolfswinkel's nose, giving her bloody knuckles. Then before his knees touched the floor, she was already out of the room and away from him.

Words rang in Candy's ears blocking out the turmoil around her and over her head as she ran through the endless corridors of the great ship.

"_In me…The princess is in me!"_

Before she had pulled off his hats and given him a fat lip, Wolfswinkel had awoken her senses to the Princess Boa when he revealed the truth about her mysterious powers and the weird Déjà vu feeling she had had for the Abarat.

She and Princess Boa were sharing the same body!

"_The princess is in me!" _She repeated to herself in her head.

It was freaky but it wasn't an unfamiliar feeling and somehow she wasn't scared. She and Boa had almost shared the same thoughts and feelings their whole life, or rather Candy's life, and Boa had lived peacefully inside her.

They were one person…until a few minutes ago.

Willing or unwillingly, their shared feelings had separated and Candy could now feel someone else's feelings other than her own. Boa's own newly awoken feelings and thoughts.

Should she be happy? Shocked, terrified or angry at the Fantomaya sisters for what they did?

For the moment Candy didn't care. She had other things to worry about, like trying to get upstairs and back to her friends again.

"_We should go this way!"_ Her princess whispered in her mind_. "You shouldn't be so worried about this bonding. I have always been inside of you and you have always been inside of me. Always together like sisters!"_

"_Yes like sisters!" _Candy thought finding that comforting_. "But it is not easy discovering that you are not normal and that you're sharing magical powers with a princess. Just give me some time."_

She or they were unsure why Wolfswinkel had had the urge to tell the secret about her true self. Was it his way of showing off his cleverness? Did he think that she would be impressed that he knew of it before her? Well, he did shock her, but why didn't he just kept it to himself and use this knowledge to his advantage.

Vanity perhaps?

Either way, his vanity had just given Candy a purpose; or rather she and Boa had a new purpose in their life.

Turning around the next corner of another corridor, a door just about few meters from her on the right side of her suddenly burst open. Candy froze on the spot, stunned by this sudden action and she could hardly breathe when something, or rather someone came out from it.

The dim light of the constantly shaking swaying oil-lamps over their heads illuminated a gaunt face framed by dirty ash blonde hair. A body bended by pain was now leaning on the doorframe.

It was Carrie.

Breathing heavily from shock, Candy took a moment to regain her senses before heading towards the young trembling woman. Just as she walked towards her, Carrie collapsed on the floor, trembling as her legs twitched.

"Oh my god!"

Candy moved down and put her arms around Carrie.

"Are you alright? What happened…Who did this you?"

"Aaaghhhaahas…" Was all Candy could hear from Carrie's lips.

"Sshh. Everything is going to be alright, just talk to me and whatever you feeling just stay focused."

Shocked and confused, Candy just held her, rocking her in her arms and stroking her hair.

Carrie was about to speak again or mostly mumble again when a horrible, screeching roar came from somewhere over their heads, making them both clap their hands over their ears.

"I don't know what happened to you but let's get you off the floor and get us out of here," Candy said urgently.

Carrie did not protest as Candy helped her to stand, and she leaned on Candy's shoulder as they moved towards the exit. Carrie was tired and weak, so Candy ended up almost holding her in her arms, while they walked.

"You're…Carrie right? Carrie Rayon?"

Carrie didn't reply, her eyes were closed and she kept her head down, covering half her face with her hair.

"I guess you are. I have seen you at class. You often sit in the corner with your head down in your drawing book. Am right?"

Carrie was still silent but her eyes had opened and she stared right into Candy's mismatched eyes. Carrie's eyes were blank and empty. Then her stare switched from empty to pain and before Candy could do anything, Carrie started to scream like a madman.

Her hands shot up from where she had been trying to scratch Candy, who was holding her and grabbed each side of her head. Her strangely inhuman scream echoed through the whole corridor and made Candy cover her ears with her palms.

Carrie was convulsing and then suddenly she fell down hard on the floor, her body twitching uncontrollably.

"Carrie!" Candy screamed hysterically. She shook Carrie's shoulders and slapped her, trying to wake her from her perpetual nightmare.

"What has he done to you? Wake up! You need to stay awake!"

But it was useless. There was no response from Carrie's unconscious body.

Candy trembled as she looked down on Carrie's pale face. _"What on earth has Carrion done to her?"_

**Back on the Wormwood's deck:**

"Alright everyone, this might sound new and strange for almost all of you, but I need everyone's help to focus with me and create a small, steady and very very fast Glyph. But we only have a few minutes before the bad guys see us and make us fish food! Don't worry! It will just take a few minutes with everyone concentrating," Malingo instructed whilst he tried to control his emotions and especially his panic.

"Waaaait a second! What do you people think you're doing?" Bill protested. "Me and my family are doing nothing until you explain properly what you're really going to do. Are you going to take our life energy? Do you need a blood sacrifice? Is this some kind of hocus pocus? What's a glyph? Are you..."

Bill was about to say more when suddenly a spear flew towards him. He jumped out of the way just in time to avoid getting hit by it and watched the spear pierce through the wall just a few centimeters from his nose.

They turned to face a Stitchling who now noticed them from the other boat.

At this point Bill was pale as a sheet and trembling. "End of questions! Just do it!" He yelled.

**Under the Wormwood's deck:**

"This is not a ship! This is a damned Labyrinth!" Rebecca exclaimed irritated.

Finnegan and company found themselves, yet again, in the midst of a dark corridor. They had been searching everywhere for Candy and Carrie but the size of Wormwood made it almost impossible to get a better view where they were.

"A labyrinth always has an end and sooner or later we'll find them. But we have to do it fast!"

He and Geneva looked around for any clues as to their whereabouts as Rebecca found herself constantly looking over her shoulder. They were armed with a sword and knives and several times they had had to hide or slay down of the horrible Stitchlings and some of Mater Motleys seamstress'.

Another high roar came above them, which made them both clap their hands over their ears.

"Did you hear that or was it just me?" Rebecca asked.

"Yes I heard! What's happening up there? I'm starting to get very worried and I don't trust Candy's dad and what he might do to save his own skin."

Just then, the front door swung open. Geneva, Finnegan and Rebecca both looked up in horror as Candy walked through the door holding Carrie in her arms. Suddenly her legs buckled and she crashed to the floor, dropping Carrie who she had carried all the way from the corridor where she'd found her.

"Candy! Are you alright?"

"Yes I'm alright but she's absolutely not!" Candy replied desperately as she tried to pick up Carrie's body again.

"What's wrong with her? What caused this?" Finnegan wondered while he easily scooped up Carrie's unconscious body into his arms.

"I don't know. She stared off into space for about few seconds and then started screaming!" Candy explained as she wiped her forehead with her sleeve, which was crusted in sweat. "…And then she passed out!"

"What do you mean she passed out?" Rebecca demanded, hurrying over to check Carrie's pulse.

"She was having a terrible headache. I think Carrion did something to her!"

"Oh Lordy Lou!" Finnegan cried out, his dark face paled as he gazed down at Carrie's face.

"Do you know what Carrion has done to her?" Geneva asked.

"Yes…I think I do," Finnegan sadly said. "The sooner we get to help, the better. Right now there's nothing we can do. We need to get out of here."

A loud bang from the long hallway opposite from where the group was standing startled them all, causing them to look over. Another loud bang struck fear in them, as a figure came sprinting out of a door at the end, screaming out.

Fury was painted on the Stitchling's face while he held a very big axe in his hands, coming straight towards them.

"MOVE, NOW, " Finnegan shouted.

As Candy, Finnegan and the rest of the team started to move forward they didn't noticed that Carrie's eyes were glowing a strange color underneath her eyelids.

_**Carrie's POV in the Nightmare world **__**:**_

_The Nightmare has begun again!_

_A wave of pure panic overwhelmed her when she realized she was back in the dark world again. Little sparks kept dancing in her vision, and an oily, metallic scent was beginning to dominate her sense of smell._

_Suddenly, she felt a hand, or rather a claw, rest on her right shoulder. It was ice cold even through her black torn T-shirt, and it sent shivers through her entire body. She looked over her right shoulder; saw the claw had long and pale fingers with pointy sharp nails. She turned toward the thing, facing it. _

_A face was looming barely an inch in front of her own, a pair of small, dark, glistening black eyes staring directly into hers, shining with a sort of cruel ecstasy. Her breath froze in her throat as she clutched her chest in horror. It was repulsive. Its flesh decaying, insects and maggots all over it._

_Shivering violently, the air had suddenly grown cold. Her breath froze and she backed away a step._

_"What do you want?" Carrie asked. _

_The creature's answer was simple._

_"Hungry!"_

"_You're what?"_

"_Hungry…food!"_

_Within moments, the creature had wrapped his hands around her throat, holding on relentlessly, squeezing the breath out of her like a snake. It was horrible. Each finger around her neck felt like a gloved brick, constricting, crushing, and squeezing each tiny bit of oxygen out of her._

_Carrie squealed, the Nightmare grabbed a handful of her long hair and pulled it painfully. Her face coming inches from it's bloodshot red eyes. Yellow teeth bared and a pungent stench of rotting stinking flesh hit Carrie's nose._

_Stars and redness began to dominate Carrie's sight and she felt her body starting to get weaker and weaker from the lack of air. "I'm going to die, I'm going to die!" Was all Carrie could think of. _

A strange hissing sounded behind them; _"Need any help?"_

_The Nightmare turned abruptly, finding itself face-to-face two large shiny black eyes, so shiny it could nearly see it's own reflection. The owner of these eyes behind him was tall, dark and it seemed to swallow the light around it so the Nightmare couldn't exactly see the stranger's whole features. Where did that thing come from? _

_Carrie took the nightmare's split second of distraction and kicked her leg up, landing in the tenderness of places in it's. Then in the same motion, she dug her nails as deep as she could into it's face and scratched it. The nightmare's hold did not completely let up, but it slackened enough that Carrie was able to pull from it's grasp. Not wasting another second; she pulled herself to her feet and ran._

_Screaming in pain and rage the nightmare began to chase after her, both forgetting the pairs of black eyes that were staring after them. _

**Team nr 1 POV under Wormwoods deck.**

"Run!" Finnegan screeched taking a harder grip on Carrie's body as they ran back out into the main corridor and away from the Stitchling's that were after them.

Turning another corner Finnegan peered down the corridor ahead, making sure that no one was waiting down there. Once he was sure it was safe, he cautiously moved forward, gripping Carrie's body tightly in his arms.

They made it to the main stairs and began furiously running up them, only to see a certain beast-boy looking over a banister, holding something in his arms. But they never got a chance to speak, as he quickly disappeared into the darkness.

**Reviews please!**


	10. Surprise Surprise

**I want to say Thank you to Red Stockings, for her kindness to correct the tenses and spellings for me! **

**And you readers are very welcome to send me a message and tell me what you think of the story, if there something I should add or change! Is there something I have missed or forgotten? Please! I want honest and valuable critiques! ****I want to learn and improve!**

**Chapter ten.**

_When you're in a nightmare, everything feels like you have been there forever. The time in our dreams is not the same as in reality. You can dream a world that feels like you have lived there all your life, but you have only been there a "few seconds." You don't know where your dreams start or end, you don't know how you came here or why you are dreaming this way. Dreams or Nightmares have no structure. Sometimes it feels very real and you believe that it's true…and real. But has it ever happened to you, that you know you're dreaming and you want to change it?_

_What would or should you do?_

**Carrie's POV in her Nightmare:**

_She backed into the furthest corner, as he advanced dragging his claws along the walls._

_A furious scream was unleashed from her lungs. "Let me out! Do you hear me? I said let me out!" _

_He grabbed at her throat and pulled her down on her back. Carrie winced in pain, which only made him drool more. She tried to punch It, kick It, anything to get him off her._

_The Nightmare seemed very satisfied with the result he was getting with the girl. Not only she was scared, she was terrified! But not so terrified enough to fall down easily, like his others victims._ She was a victim who was going to be good fun.

"_You taste so sweet, pleeaaassse…fear me mooooreee!"_

_He needed the fear badly and the girl was starting to get more and more complicated. What was that creature who had distracted him and given the girl a chance to slip from his claws? He hasn't seen It after the incident. But never mind that, he's got her now and nothing was going to stop him from having his meal. _

_The nightmare raised his arm, and brought it down to finally slash through Carrie's chest. But in the last second Carrie moved her body away and the claw hit an empty spot. The claw's sharpness made a deep cut on the floor. _

"_Dammit," the nightmare thought as It raised It's arm again, not noticing the damage its claws has caused, before bringing them down for a final strike on Carrie's form. _

_The floor seemed to open up under them like a melting black vortex, and before the Nightmare's claws reached to dig her heart out, Carrie was beyond his reach. She felt herself getting sucked down into the black and then she feel into an endless dark tunnel._

_One second later, all she could think of was that she was falling!_

_She was sailing downward into the unknown, seeing dizzying colors, swirling giddily around her. Her head was spinning as she watched them through the clear surface confining her._

_Suddenly a bright light flashed on from nowhere. Carrie's darkness accustomed eyes squinted in the brightness and her legs smacked down hard on a yellow broad loam._

_Her eyes focused on the bright light and what she saw made her gasp._

_She looked around with an exclamation of surprise. It wasn't dark or bizarre anymore, but yellow and wooden. At least it felt wooden by her hurting head resting on the floor._

"_What kind of twisted nightmare this is?"_

_Knowing that surely whatever was happening couldn't be a good thing, she gulped as she forced herself up. She was in a kitchen, a pretty room, painted with happy colors and the sun was shining outside the window. _

_It was… well, very nice_.

_And to make it more bizarre, there sat a small person beside the kitchen table. _

_It was just a little girl, who couldn't have been older than seven. Her hair was thin, straight and very light blond, wearing an over-sized white T-shirt and blue shorts. The girl was drawing something on a piece of paper and all over the bench were pieces of pens with different pastel colors, all well used. _

_Carrie watched her carefully. _

_It brought to her a strong feeling of déjà vu. She stood in silence, trying to keep herself calm. The girl glanced up and gave her a small smile, while holding up a red pen to Carrie, like she wasn't surprised at all to see a total stranger with half-torn wet goth clothes in the room._

"_Could you draw a nice picture for me?"_

_Carrie felt her knees start to buckle from shock and forced herself to breath. It took a moment before her knees stopped feeling like Jello and she set a hand down on the side of the kitchen table to stabilize herself. Her brain racing to put together what she was seeing and what she had been seeing just a minute ago. Looking at the red pen in the little girl's hand, Carrie took a seat beside her and took the pen and began to draw on a piece of paper. _

"_Yeah…sure."_

**Back on Wormwood's deck:**

"They have seen us! We must go!" Mcbean shouted as he shot his fifth Stichling.

"_They should be back by now. What's keeping them so long?" _Malingo thought nervously, looking out at the deck.

The Glyph was almost finished; it looked like some sort of a minibus with weird looking butterfly wings. Not grand or perfect, but it didn't matter, the important thing was that it could fly.

Decking and railings had been torn up, sails slashed and rigging brought down. One of the Stichlings had gotten this crazy idea to set fire on the rigging where Mischief John were trapped, and the result was a nice burning bonfire which was spreading very fast and starting to lick the Wormwood's sails and riggings too.

Melissa cried out as she watched the flames rise higher and higher, and Billy was struggling to hold her back from running back into Wormwood again to look for Candy.

"Wait!" Someone screamed. Malingo's head turned around and saw that out from the main cabin's door came, Finnegan, Geneva, Rebecca and (Thank you Lordi Lou) Candy. Finnegan was holding a thin body in his arms.

They were ten feet away, but he wasn't going to leave them behind. As he heard screaming he turned to see more Stichlings coming towards them.

"Look out!" He screamed.

They heard a barrage of Stichlings emerged from what was left of Lud Limbo's lower deck behind them, together with Mischief John who was running like a maniac towards them and towards the glyph.

Handing over Carrie's body to Candy and Rebecca, Finnegan and Geneva took up their swords, and together with a warrior's roar they ran towards their enemies.

**Carrie's POV in her Nightmare:**

"_Great, so now you're what, another hallucination?" Carrie tried to make her voice sound as sarcastic as possible while she draws with hard black circles on her paper. _

"_What`s a hallucination?" The girl asked curiously as she continued to draw._

"_Is when you see or hear something that doesn't really exist in reality," Carrie muttered. "Which sometimes can feel creepy realistic if you ask me."_

"_Oh!" The girl spoke. "But I`m real, am I not?" _

"_I guess. Anyway, this place, which includes you, is much nicer than the other one." _

"_The one behind the door?" _

"_What door?" _

_The girl pointed her little finger. Carrie looked behind her and saw a bright Victorian white door. The door looked vivid and colorful like the rest of this world but between the door and the wall, small gaps of a dark creepy shadow filtered through, like a dark fog that was trickling through its corners. Carrie shuddered as she looked back. _

"_Oh god. Here we go again."_

"_You don't like him?"_

"_No! I definitely don't like 'him'. "He" wants me as his dinner!" Carrie replied, scraping her fingers nervously through her hair. _

"_Why not just place him in the cookie jar? He will be safe there."_

"_The cookie jar?" Carrie exclaimed. "Listen, I'm not referring to a thing that is the size of a spider or a rat. I`m talking about a gigantic monster that`s twice my size, with claws and terrible breath!"_

"_Yes you can!" The little girl smiled._ _She tucked her feet up on her chair, wrapping her arms around her skinny legs. "I always do it, when I want to remember my dreams and nightmares."_

"_In a cookie jar?" _

"_And then you can take them out whenever you want and play with them! Sure they are nasty and big in here." She pointed to her temple. "But they are not scary at all."_

"_Alright!" Carrie grimaced as she _wrapped her arms around herself, trying to find some comfort._ "And how do you suggest I capture it with this cookie jar?"_

_The little girl looked baffled. How could Carrie not know? _

"_By not to fearing it of course… When you do not fear them, they are fun to play with."_

_Carrie starred at the girl in shock. Had she heard right? "To play…with?"_

"_And to use them…" The little girl chuckled, looking teasingly at Carrie._

_Carrie Reilly stared at her. There was something familiar to her in her voice and her face, _

_"Who are you?"_

**Back on the Wormwood's deck:**

Finnegan moved with incredible speed, his sword a whirl of motion as he spun around as he sliced a Stichlings throat, then stabbed another behind him. Geneva was a flow of endless motion; she jumped and ducked very fast. She swung and stabbed. Never did she stop her movement. She leapt through the air and stabbed her sword into a Stichling's chest. Then she spun around and swung her sword again, taking another stichling's head off. Creating around them a real mud bath. Mischief John and his brothers tried the best they could with a large stick.

Candy and Rebecca finally reached the Glyph and lifted Carrie and themselves into the Glyph's backseat door.

With Deux-Deux in the passenger seat, the rest of the group has taken seats in the back. Mcbean jumped in the "driver seat" and tried to start the glyph. They all looked sickly worried, several of them cried, bit their nails or shouted. Or rather Bill shouted.

"What in hell are we waiting for? Let`s move NOW NOW NOW!"

Through all the commotion, Malingo had managed to ask; "What happened?" while he had helped Candy bring Carrie onboard.

"Long story! Everyone is ready?" Candy replied at length, still gasping for air.

"Yes, everyone is onboard, but we can't leave Geneva, Finnegan and John."

They only had at most 30 seconds before the rest of the Wormwood's crew reached the glyph. But even Finnegan, Geneva and Mischief John's best efforts were not enough against the stichlings. They were too many, only second behind them as they ran towards the glyph.

"Come one move!"

"I can't get the glyph moving!" Malingo shouted as he repeated again and again the magic words to move the glyph.

"It`s him who is doing it again!" Mcbean pointed his finger.

All eyes moved towards where his finger was pointed and they saw Christopher Carrion's tall figure.

Candy felt him before she saw him. His power was immense, filling the entire deck with his rage.

Carrion walked swiftly through the deck, not caring where he stepped. His eyes were focused on the glyph and its passengers. His servants moved quickly away, sensing that their Dark Lord was in one of his murderous rages as he passed by them.

"He`s using his dark magic again! If we don't break it, we`ll lose and die."

"Then do it like we did before. Everyone say RISE!" Candy instructed to her friends and family.

"What for?" Bill demanded.

"Just say it!"

"What in Lordi Lou is that?" Asked Maling, his orange eyes locked on Carrion.

Candy stretched her head outside to see that he was looking at. A bug or something, three times the size of a Goliath spider dashed across the open deck. It jumped at the nearest Stichling and began to dig in into his back. His poor victim screamed as he felt this monster with super speed eat through his body and then dash out through his stomach and attack It's next victim.

This sudden intruder confused the Stichlings, they tried to kill it with their swords and spears. But because of the creatures' fast eight legs, their weapons hit their own comrades instead. Uncontrolled sharp objects created a nice mess of mud around them while they tried to kill it.

This commotion interrupted Carrion's deep concentration and not missing the opportunity, Finnegan, Geneva and Mischief John ran as fast as they could to the glyph and jumped in.

"Quick! Say RISE!"

"RISE!"

Suddenly the glyph roared with life and it shot up with excessive speed, rising straight up into the air.

Carrion tried again to control the glyph, but it was too late. The glyph was already beyond his grip.

"We made it! We made it!" The whole gang of Mischief's brothers cried in joy. Candy hugged Melissa and her brothers, whilst trying to give Tria and Deux-Deux high-fives. Meanwhile Rebecca and Geneva tried to adjust Carrie's limp body into a horizontal position on the floor.

But the smile on the faces of the survivors faded when the bug, who didn't want to be left behind, immediately shot up and took hold of the Glyph's back, just a few inches from their faces. By using its front spider-legs, it broke through the window and began to crawl in.

The bug's mouth almost caught Candy' s face as she and several others backed away as its head came in.

"Oh my God!" Melissa shouted, her voice brimming with shock and fear.

"Shit! We're all going to die!" cried someone else.

Finnegan's sword came down hard on the bug's head.

Some sort of colorful liquid splattered everywhere as he stabbed it but the creature continued to hold on the edge of the glyph with its claws. It tried to bite Finnegan's hand and the people behind him, but it missed because of a stab from Finnegan's sharp sword.

It screamed terribly and it showed it`s serrated teeth.

Again and again he beat it until the screaming ceased and it finally opened his claws and fell. The glyph had reached several meters from the ground, so when the bug hit the deck, it splashed into a big colorful mess. A large part the blotch landed right on Carrion's glass collar and cape.

Carrion wiped away the substance with distain, looking up at the glyph as it made it's way higher and further away from him. He imagined Candy Quackenbush's frightened face relaxing, her eyes closing in relief, her fast breathing becoming even. He wanted to wrap his hand around her neck and choke her. He wanted to do many other things to her…She might have escaped him now, but he would always find her. He always had, not matter how far she ran, or where she hid. They always ended up back together, and sometime soon he would teach her the consequences of wasting his time.

Unaware what he was doing, he moved his right hand down into one of his pockets. Feeling the cold metal of the pendant in the palm of his hand, he grasped around it and clutched it hard. His eyes had caught a mess of dirty blond hair in the glyphs before they closed the backdoor. Hair that belongs to a certain angry girl he briefly just meet.

So they had find her body and taken it with them. Fine with him! But pity he didn't see how much spirit the girl had when she struggled with his precious nightmare. He didn't catch to see if she was dead or not when they closed the door before him.

A person like that would not easily break down after a few minutes. Either she was dead, which means her cold eyes and stubbornness was simply an act (but a very good act!), or her mind kept on fighting for her life and it would take hours before she finally gives up, letting insanity and fear take over her. How awful he couldn't get the chance to see it. Imaging seeing this girl with terror in her eyes and her mouth open up in a loud scream, made Carrion fell a little better as he turned his back from the glyph, which was now a small spot in the horizon and started to move back into Wormwoods deck. Preparing to tell his grandmother this "wonderful" news!

**Carrie's POV: **

"_If you are too afraid, let me do it for you," the little girl offered as she jumped down from the chair and took one of the cookie jars from the bench. She started to walk back to the door. Carrie didn't know why or how she knew it, but she could feel the Nightmare was standing behind._

"_Don't open that door. He`ll hurt you!"_

"_This is funnier than drawings. Don't you think?" _

"_No I don't! If you open that door, he comes out and kills us!"_

"_But I told you! If you don't fear it, they can't harm you!" The little girl said as she reached for the round door handle with her small hand._

"_How do you know…" Carrie begun to ask when something changed. In the moment when SHE opened the door…The familiar feeling had returned. It was at the tip of Carrie's tongue as she gazed back at the girl, or rather HERSELF as she took the first step into the darkness. _

"_If you don't fear it, they can't harm you!" She thought._

_As _she_ walked out, the monster stood before her reaching with it's raised claw._

_Carrie was shaking slightly, but surprisingly it wasn't from fear. She wasn't quite sure where the feeling had originated from, but she couldn't help herself, something snapped inside of her and for a second her mind was excited… with a sort of adrenaline kick of anticipation._

_Feeling the sudden lack of fear from this girl's aura and the way she looked at him, _The confused nightmare tried nervously to back away.

_A grin slowly spread across Carrie's face as she looked eagerly at the nightmare monster who was slowly backing away. _

"_Mine!" _

**Inside the Glyph:**

Rebecca touched Carrie's hair and shook her shoulder a bit. Her head flopped around as if she were lifeless. A streak of dried drool ran from the corner of her mouth to the floor.

"Carrie" She begged anxiously. "Wake up. Open your eyes."

"A nightmare?" Candy echoed as she looked in panic at Finnegan. "You're telling us that one of Carrion's snakelike things is inside Carrie's brain?"

"That`s probably what he wanted her for when they came and took her!" Finnegan muttered as he inspected Carrie's pupils and pulse.

"I don't get it," Rebecca said. "Has this Carrion given her some kind of drug or an injection?"

"Not really," Geneva replied. "You have seen that Carrion wears a collar around his neck with some sort of liquid and wormlike creatures in it? He has the ability to produce nightmares in his head and give them a physical shape. They look like thin lights or worms but these nightmares are used to punish and torture..."

"So it`s some sort of a hallucination she`s having I get that! But what can we do to wake her up from it?"

Geneva squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath before explaining, "There is nothing you can do."

"What! What do you mean?" Shrieked Rebecca.

"No one has ever survived Carrion's nightmares!" Geneva continued. "When you've got his nightmare in your brain, it starts to showing your fears and terrors until your mind can't hold it anymore. You either become completely insane or die of fear."

Candy's heart sank. "Isn't there anything that can be done?"

"Only Carrion can take it back. But that is now impossible," Finnegan answered. "We need to contact the councils and inform them what Carrion is planning and try to make a strategy. But for Candy and her family's sake, we need to keep a low profile and move underground so Carrion won't find or notice us. "

"If we must go under some kind of protection…." Bill interrupted Finnegan's speech with his highly irritated voice. "I demand the utmost hospitality. We'll need hot, running water, three meals a day, and a good television signal - preferably with cable and…"

Nine of ten of the people in the glyph either wanted to throw Bill out, tape or sew his mouth together so they could stop hearing his never ending complains and grouching. But before Finnegan was able to open his mouth, and tell Bill to shut his, or he'd have a sword in his throat, a strange noise caught their attention.

"Oh God." Geneva gasped and the others turned to look at her. Her eyes were fixed on the floor and on Carrie. Everyone followed her gaze. Candy's eyes widened, Malingo's face went white, and Rebecca's heart skipped a beat.

A long silvery thing came out from Carrie's nostrils and glided around her neck. Swaying back and forth as it first looked up at the person standing closest to Carrie. It stared at its host's pale features carefully, before arranging itself around Carrie's neck in a loose spiral.

"WHAT IN THE ABARAT IS THAT?"

**Back on Wormwoods deck, in Letheo's bedchamber:**

Letheo couldn't move a muscle, he couldn't even blink. His legs felt like jelly and he half considered running out from the room. All he could focus on were two questions that burned through his mind. Question one: _What in Lordy Lou is that?_ And question two: _If Carrion finds out, is he going to give me a quick death or a long suffering torture?"_

Turning abruptly to face at the old woman's transparent form standing beside him; "I did what you begged me to do but that **thing** was not part of the bargain!"

Diamanda herself had the same expression of confusion and bewilderment in her stare as Letheo. She looked down at the real Carrie's sleeping form on Letheo's cabin bed and her recent new ally.

Back on the glyph, the survivors starred in horror as the fake Carrie transformed back into a very small, very thin, very ugly and very dead seamstress of Mater Motley's court.

**Reviews please!**


	11. Change

**Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all like your Secret Santa presents (Take a look on website forum: Abarat ****The Midnight hour.) and you`re having a wonderful christmas with your friends and family.**

**Thank you Red Stockings for your great help with the grammar and the tenses! Thank you! :)**

******Enjoy! (And, please, review. I want to know what you think of the story.)**

******The Nightmare Catcher, chapter 11.**

Carrie could feel her head pounding, akin to having spent the previous night drinking her weight. Her body ached as well, deep in her muscles and her throat was dry and throbbed in time with a newly forming migraine. She heard the voices of a woman and a boy. At least… that's what she thought she heard. She wasn't sure.

"I have done my share of the bargain, pay up!"

"You have only done half of it, you must help her to leave this ship and carry her to safety."

"I refuse to babysit her!" The boy's voiced hissed at the woman. "My lord has almost lost his trust in me and I can't afford to lose it after all that happened. I will move her to safer ground, but after that she'll be on her own. Agreed?"

Carrie could hear the old woman giving a tired sigh. "And I thought you might have changed your mind because of your curse, but I`m willing to give you what you want, in return for bringing her here. But you must get her to a safe place in Gorgossium. Please tell her what kind of place it is, what she needs to know and what kind of people she must avoid. Can you do that?"

"Of course," The boy replied. "But no more visiting from you or any more favors, or I will be hanged!"

Were they talking about her? Carrie didn't know if they were talking about her or if there was someone else. But show some sign of being awake, she groaned to gain their attention. Both the old woman and the boy were silent as heard her.

Carrie started to be aware of something tracing around her neck. She wondered had they put a wet scarf or a neckerchief around her throat or something?

The boy was the first one to speak. "Well, now that you're finally with the living, I say it's time for a talk…" The boy's voice sounded like it was coming closer to her. Carrie forced her eyes open and looked up towards the voice. Over her a young man gazed into her eyes. He had a light green and blue face with yellow eyes and shoulder length, black grease filled hair. He wore a dark uniform but over his hands and neck there was a fine layer of silver-gray scales that covered over his skin, like a reptile or a fish.

"I don't know why you're so special or how your future is going to be, but be sure I will not be involved in another…" he stopped as Carrie looked up at him, her eyes wide open. Suddenly, from the corner of her left eye a quick flash of something otherworldly lightened up near her left cheek. The boy quickly jolted up and backed away from her, this time his voice sounded more polite and little bit frightened. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so hasty, but we have no time…" The boy hesitated as he looked at her confused and groggy state. "Are you all right?"

Carrie groaned as she pushed herself up from the lumpy mattress with her eyes squeezed shut. Moving her hand over her face, she felt something wet and warm on her hand. She opened her eyes again and saw red blood covered her fingers. She bent double towards the floor and felt more blood dripping from her nose and down onto her lap.

Great! That is what she needed right now, more nosebleeds.

It took a few moments until Carrie was able to find her voice. "Where am I?"

"I...I found you in one of the hallways, you were looking very bad and you were unconscious, so I brought you here to my room."

Carrie tried to raise her one her undamaged eyebrow at him. "You're going to have to be little more specific than that." She took a glance around the room, the woman Carrie heard seconds ago was nowhere to be seen.

"When I found you it looked as if you'd just survived from an army of Stitchlings! I just wanted to…" He struggled with the last word, like he didn't really mean it "…help."

Carrie pressed her hand against her ribs and bit her bottom lip, looking down at the ground.

In her head, Carrie tried to count how many times she had been hit and knocked out during this "great" journey. First had been the great wave, then the lack of air when she had been dragged down into the dark water. Following that the tattooed man's hard hands and feet had knocked the air out of her, only for her to then meet Carrions hard cane. Lastly… What had happened during her fifth knockout? Her head hurt so badly.

Carrie started to notice that the boy was staring at her very strangely. She found it irritating, wondering if her ruined clothes and her swollen eye looked repellent to him?

"What are you starring at?"

"I don't quite know… Perhaps you can explain?"

"Well I have just been in a fight with a moron, thrown into a prison and then met "Skeletor", I can't help that I look like a lovely mess. It is hardly my fault, so the least you could do…" Something was tickling under her chin. Thinking it was a scratch; she itched slightly in a vague attempt to make it go away. "Is explain how long I was passed out?"

The boy didn't respond to her irritated voice or her question, just kept staring at her, or rather looking more at her chest than her eyes.

"No doubt of that, you were out for a while. But I was thinking more of…" he said hesitantly, having trouble to find the right word for it.

"…What?" She asked again, looking down at her torn T-shirt to check if some of the big holes were revealing something. Again she felt the annoying tickling and when she raised her hand up to scratch again it grasped a strange object instead.

It was neither cold nor warm, more like her body temperature. The object's size was no bigger than her ring finger but it was long and slippery and when Carrie trailed her fingers over its length, she could feel it had wrapped itself twice around her neck.

"This isn't good," the boy whispered as Carrie flung herself out of the bed like someone shot from a canon. Her legs stumbled but she managed to head toward something that resembled a mirror on the wall. Her eyes gazed over the swollen eye, then the blood over her upper lip and at last on the strange but very familiar creature, lying comfortably around her throat, shimmering in dark blue. She gasped when she saw it's petal shaped head just beside her face, swaying back and forth as if hypnotized as she looked at it.

She took all this in the space of a second, and then she screamed.

It was more of a short shriek really, mostly out of surprise. Carrie grabbed the thing by the edge of its tail, removed it from her neck and tossed it away. But like she was some kind of magnet, the thing only touched softly to the floor and like a spiral it jumped back and wrapped itself again around (a now a very scared) Carrie's shoulders.

Three times she tossed it away and three times it came back.

"Get if off, Get if off!" She screamed, her head pounded harder as she shouted_. _She looked back to the boy who was now sitting on the same bed she had just run from. Staring dumbstruck at her.

Carrie recovered quickly and her anger at this boy started to overwhelm her shock of the "snake."

"What is that around my neck?" she screeched pointing at it.

The boy look perplexed when she stared angrily at him. "What… you're asking me?"

"Yes you! Is this your work? Take this thing off of me!"

"Don't ask me!" He protested throwing his hands up. "It came out from your nose!"

A mixture of fury and confusion crossed Carrie's face. "What?" She exclaimed. "My nose?"

"Before you awoke, this thing wiggled out from your nose."

Carrie had a hard to time imaging that this thing, with its length and size could have possibly crawled out from her nose. Was the boy lying? It could actually be him? That this thing was meant to eat or poison her but failed and he`s now lying? It sounded too weird to be true. More blood started to drop down to the floor from her nose and instinctively Carrie used her gloved hand to wipe it off. Looking at the blood on her wrist, her blackeye was growing bigger (like the bluish color of "the Snakes skin") and she was starting to feel that he was telling the truth.

"And…you…couldn't remove it from me? I was unconscious and defenseless!" Her voice was now shaking. "The Snake" seemed to like Carrie's mood and it started to make a second rotation with its blue body around her throat, It's head slightly touching Carrie's jaw.

"Well it didn't hurt you and you're standing here right now, alive and alert," the boy assured her.

Carrie craned her neck to see as much of the now very blue sparkling "Snake" as possible, she stopped trying to struggle. "But I want it off!" She insisted desperately. "Please help me to take it off!"

The boy started to make a move with his hand to grasp the "Snake's" tail, but a metallic zing made him back away again. The "Snake", it's skin now a deep red color, studied his face, weaving back and forth with its head and hissed. It flicked its many tongues out as it gazed regally at him. The boy's face twisted in uneasiness.

Carrie stared at the "Snake" in astonishment.

"Uhhh…" He started, eye widening slightly. He slowly mouthed, "…Even if it doesn't harm you it certainly will attack me."

He squinted at her. "Are you a witch or something? I think I have heard that the "Hereafter" also have their own witches, wizards and other strange magic's that doesn't exist here."

"No I'm not a Witch and this isn't funny!" Carrie angrily protested. "I don't know how or why this thing came out from my nose but you better tell me who you are and who is the woman who made a agreement with you!"

"What woman?"

"The woman I heard two minutes ago and with whom you made an agreement to help me! Is it her who caused this?"

"That thing must have been screwing with your brain pretty badly. It has only been me and you in this room for this past hour," the boy lied.

"But I heard you…"

"Doesn't matter if you heard two or a dozen voices in your head. Be lucky that no one else is occupying this room or have slightest idea that you're here. If they did, you'd be dead right now. Either by the Stitchlings, Mater Motley's seamstresses or Lord Carrion himself."

The name Carrion made Carrie's face grow pale and without thinking she brought her hands to her head and desperately tried to shake out the thoughts.

Number five, the fifth time she had passed out and almost forgot, purposely blotted out of her mind she now remembered, and she didn't like it to recall it.

_"But on other hand… just because I'm not going to enjoy the "dinner" with you, doesn't mean I need to starve….__Thakram noosa rah. Haas!" _Carrie swore that she could still hear that man's voice whisper throughout the room.

"_Oh dear lord I'm going crazy!"_

Not to mention she remembered that weird looking creature with this petal shaped ey_es, _staring into her that, everything had transformed into a strange surrealist nightmare world where a gruesome monster wanted to eat her alive.

She could feel it, like a weight pressing her chest. She grabbed at her stomach, and noticed she was having trouble breathing; she must have been for some time. All at once, she felt harried.

It wanted to eat her. It wanted to destroy her and she knew that she had been totally helpless against it, but she couldn't recall any memories of how she'd survived. She tried to recall the memories now, but the only result was another headache. It was a damned miracle that all her brain cells were still intact and not suffering from cerebral infarction right now.

The snake (she decided to call it that because she had no other explanation as to what this thing was) started to stroke its petals softly against her cheek, as if what trying to comfort her pain.

A voice made her jump in shock.

"Is everything all right?"

The boy shifted uncomfortably on his feet. He seemed unsure what to do.

Carrie heard short, frantic breaths and smothered sobs coming from her. Her body was trembling and sweating underneath her palms. She shook her head.

"I was having a nightmare, it was terrible but I can't remember what it was about. A monster was hunting me, I was scared, alone and I didn't know what to do but…. I can't remember how I…got out…but…I don't know but the funny thing is..." Staring straight at the boy while her trembling left finger pointed at her new boa, a hoarse laugh came out from her mouth, like she couldn't believe it herself. "The funny thing is that it's now around my neck and acts like some kind a tamed dumb pet. Can you believe that?"

Feeling very awkward, the boy reached a hand out for her arm to try and comfort her.

But mid reach he pulled away.

"Listen" he said interrupting her soon to be panic-attack and stepping closer to her, (but not too close in fear of the Thing) he stood with his arms crossed across his chest, staring directly, or rather, up into her eyes. She was taller than him, like ten centimeters taller and it looked a little bit funny. But his eyes narrowed as he fixed Carrie Rayon with a firm stare.

"I think you'll just to put up with it until we are in Gorgossium. If you do as I say we might have chance to let you escape this ship."

Carrie looked at him with surprise. His lack of empathy seemed to snap her back to reality and her irritation towards him grew. Her breathing slowed slightly and her trembling became less.

"Can't you see that I'm feeling very miserable right now and what, do you think I'm an idiot? I'm not going anywhere with you," she told him firmly.

The boy snorted. "Too be honest, I'm doing someone a favor by helping you. If it was my choice I would have left you on the floor or let the Stitchlings take care of you. In this moment and especially on this ship you have no one to help or trust except me."

He opened a sack and pulled out some ointments, bandages, a dark purple and black layered dress, an old pair of boots and a black veil. He handed them to her and pointed to a curtain on the other side of the room.

"You will change into those clothes behind the curtain. When you're finish I will explain the plan for you."

Carrie paused for a second. She held a gaze at the boy, her red shoot gray eyes narrowed suspiciously. The boy sighed tiredly.

"I know you may not like this situation and you certainly need a great rest, but you actually have no other choice, the ship will be soon reaching Kythevai and we can't afford waste any more time. I don't have the power to get rid that "Thing" for you but you need to think positive. Except me, it seems it doesn't want to attack you or cause you any harm. Matter of fact… I think it likes you!"

Carrie gave him a venomous glare. "Thanks a lot for your sympathy."

The boy gave another sigh. "Don't thank me and don't ask me any more questions until we are on safer ground. Do we have an agreement?"

She normally would have objected at a random order like that, but judging by the urgency and slowly building fright in his face, this had to be serious.

"You're doing something against your orders, right?"

"Oh how did you know?" he asked sarcastically.

She paused for a second and looked at the clothes in her hands.

"What do you have to gain by helping me?"

He ignored her question. "Ten minutes…." Then he just turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Carrie sighed and forced herself into action, to change into what the boy had given her, mentally telling herself to trust him. Even though she was angry and so damned miserable, she couldn't place the blame entirely on that boy. Whoever he was breaking his loyalty to, he had moved her unconscious body here and was going to help her.

What other choices did she have? She was still on the "Wormwood," she had no idea what to do or what her next move might be without him. Another part of her wanted to know who was in charge of the whole thing, and it would be possible to get to the people she'd met in the prison and rescue them? _"I wonder what's happened to them?"_

Carrie let out another frustrated sigh as she removed her T-shirt from her shoulders. _Too many questions..._

This brought Carrie back to her new "boa" as she felt it wiggle around her bare shoulders, instantly she grabbed the distracting serpent behind the head, it blinked with its several stamen eyes at her but made no response. Again she tossed it away from her over to the other side of the room. It made a confused sort of hiss as it landed on the bed, before it started to move back to Carrie.

"I hate you," Carrie stated dully as the "Snake" again wrapped itself around her and snuggled its head on her right shoulder bone, its skin now in between dark red and blue.

Ordinarily Letheo didn't mind the wind too much. It had always had a strangely heroic feel to it, and it looked particularly impressive to be standing at the railing in a raging storm, standing stoically still, pretending that he was the captain of a great ship, a great Lord or maybe a Duke. But this wind was cold. It slid down his neck and made his eyes squint, so he looked like some kind of poor melting candle instead of a great man.

Letheo rested his face in his arms on the rail and groaned. "I would never, in a million years, believe I would be a part of this bloody nightmare."

He regretted that he said yes to that old lady's plea for helping that girl. Why in Lordy Lou did the old lady wanted her to stay on this ship and not join the crew of Lud Limbo when they fled? He would have gladly given them the girl and spared all this trouble to knock out, drug and by using a little magic, glamour one of Mater motley sea mistresses (which had been hiding in the corner of the corridor where Letheo had found Carrie) and transform her appearance into Carrie.

_This is total suicide! _

But it's almost worth it, he thought. In return he had been given the recipe of "Thuaz", the liquid he was dependable on. Only Carrion had known the secret ingredients but now Letheo did too, (at least half of it, the rest was to be given when the whole task was finished) and with this and with a little help from a wizard or a medic, he could find the antidote for his curse and be free from Carrion.

What did the "Hereafter" people say? Oh yes…. Hallelujah!

A rough hand grabbed hold of his shoulder and Letheo was called back to the present with a start. Standing up straight he looked up, and found Carrion was standing over him with a smirk.

"What are you looking at Letheo?"

"Nothing my lord. Just looking at the water."

"Oh, I know that look. Tell me the truth," his Lord spoke slowly.

"Uh, I tried to remember how I _had_ gotten here." Letheo shook his head slightly. "How can a man like me, being born in the slums be Your Majesty's assistant?"

Letheo knew that Carrion was a perfect listener and could hear someone lie from miles away. But what he said wasn't exactly the truth but it wasn't a lie either.

"You're not a man yet, and I suppose I was being "kind" because you were clearly upon the near brink of death when I found you. You haven't forgotten the feel of the Todo miner's hard trowels over your body?"

"No I haven't…" Letheo replied vaguely, his voice fading as old memories tumbled over one another.

"And to show your gratefulness you promised me to be my loyal subject and do everything I command."

Letheo turned towards him with a frown. "What are you saying my Lord?"

"You wish that you had gone with Candy Quackenbush and her rebels instead being with me," Carrion accused.

"I have never wished…"

"DON'T LIE!"

Carrion threw his apprentice a scolding look, then turned and paced towards the other side of the ship, clasping his hands behind his back. Letheo followed him like a scolded dog. Afraid what his master would do to him.

Carrion continued, "You knew when you promised to be loyal to me that there would be a cost. You knew that I always expect perfection, honesty and loyalty from my subjects. When you agreed to be my apprentice." While he spoke, he put his gloved hand into his pocket and pick up a long silver chain with a pendant. Carrion looked at it closely and then opened the pendant. From his distance Letheo couldn't see what Carrion was staring at, but it seemed to be something very interesting in Lord Carrion's eyes. "You would see and learn the most horrible and sorrowful things you never knew or seen of. Isn't an great honor?"

"I… I have obeyed you in every word except in one occasion which I now deeply regret!" Letheo said honestly and carefully.

Carrion continued to watch the oval shaped picture as he spoke in an increasingly icy voice.

"Yes I know, but you are under my protection, so you can't afford to go behind my back and disobey me. It's your job and you have with your own free will chosen this road, no one forced you. You were glad to offer your body and soul to me, and in return I taught you to become a perfect assassin. But just one single look from a simple, plain and stubborn girl's lovely eyes, and you wanted to be on her side and be 'good.'"

Letheo gulped, trying to back away from him as slowly as he could.

"But I'm still here, I didn't go with them, I had my opportunity when they escaped but I decided to stay here. Doesn't this prove I'm loyal to you?"

Carrion did not reply. Instead, his gaze had switched from the pendant and seemed to fix a few meters from them, on the servants now lining up at the railing. Letheo twisted to see what his Lord was looking at. Glancing down at the black water, he saw the small boat moving beside the ship, a ladder was hanging down from the railing and some of the servants were climbing down to it.

Because of "Wormwood's" large size, they needed to lay anchor from the one of Gorgossium's three harbors, right now they were at Kythevai. Lord Carrion, Mater Motley and her ladies in waiting didn't need any boats to carry them to the shore; they just simply walked on the water or flew.

But some of the Stitchlings and the servants who didn't belong to the ship were dependant on the boats. If they ever tried to put their both feet on the black sea of Izabella, they would either sink or lose their feet to the fishes.

There was nothing peculiar about them; their working-clothes were in simple materials of dark purple. The women were wearing long sleeves and long skirts with several thin layers, while the men only had simple shirts and trousers. All were holding packages and furniture in their arms. Nothing could be gleaned from their faces. In Carrion's household all the servants, especially the women, are ordered to wear a long dark veils to cover their faces and hair while they worked. If they ever accidentally showed their skin and were unlucky enough to be discovered by Christopher Carrion, Mater Motley or her ladies in waiting, then they could expect tortured or, if they were lucky, banishment from the Island.

Letheo understood why Mater Motley had invented this rule. The first was to keep the servants as anonymous as possible, since they were lower beings and not of equal standing with the nobles or the Carrions. It was easier to beat a servant with your hands or stick when their pain filled eyes were covered with the veil. It was as simple as that! The other thing, which was Mater Motley's sole reason, which rarely nobody spoke of but seemed obvious, is to avoid seeing the maids' more younger and fairer looks than her old wrinkled ones, and to keep her only grandson from temptations and lust. Her seamstresses also had veils, but they were only required to cover their hair, they were not exactly notorious beauties.

But what was Carrion looking at?

Letheo froze and nearly yelped in shock._ "Damn her!" _One of the servant girls had stopped in the middle of the line and was boldly starring directly at Carrion and him. She was holding a small basket in her arms but her spine was straight and not humbling and crouching like the rest of the servants. She seemed to sway a bit, like she was ill and was barely keeping her feet on the ground. Another strange thing was that her clothes looked too big for her size and part of the skirt were dragging on the floor behind her.

His eyes narrowing, Carrion looked at the servant-girl, his gaze hard with a slight grumbling sound in his throat. His hands were still holding up the forgotten pendant towards his distracted eye.

"_Stop staring! Stop Staring! Stop Staring!" _Letheo repeated desperately in his head.

Like being broken from a trance, the girl realized that she was doing something very stupid. Quickly she moved her veil and covered head, and started to climb down to the boat with the others. Carrion watched the young servant woman disappearing from his watch and then looked back at Letheo's pale face.

"There is something you're not telling me." His Lord spoke slowly. Letheo could barely breathe as Carrion moved back to him.

"I have nothing to hide from you my Lord," he whispered.

"But you do!"

"_This is the end for me!"_ Letheo's mind screamed.

"Even if you didn't go with them this time, it does not a prove that you'll not betray me if you get the chance, and go joining the "good" side later. You can't break your loyalty to me because you're cursed by my own hands!"

"_What? Didn't he notice_?" Suddenly Letheo lungs could breathe again. But The Lord of Midnight moved closer to Letheo and grabbed hard onto his worn-out shirt with his silvery metal claws.

Letheo stopped breathing again.

"So far you haven't disobeyed me and your last chance is still intact but… if I ever see or hear of you getting in contact with that Candy Quackenbush or any of her alleys, be sure that your final moments, when your breath is leaving your beastly body, I will be there; watching, laughing and preparing to give you a slow and painful death with my own bare hands and let my nightmares have you. This is not empty threat! Do you understand?"

Letheo shakily nodded. "I promise…that I will never…interfere either with Candy or any of her friends again. If I ever do, I will let you set your hands around my throat and let you…kill me slowly."

"Good!"

The hand on his shoulder gripped it like a claw before letting go and gesturing for him to hurry up.

The conversation was over.

Before they went down to the cabins again, Letheo took a quick look down at the small boat, which was now moving towards Kythevai. The boat was being manned by a small crew of weathered sailors, with coarse skin and even coarser language, but they kept to themselves and did not worry him. They didn't have time or lust to interfere with the servants so they were keeping the small boat moving, and that was the important thing. The faster the boat moved away from Wormwood the slimmer was the chances were he and that girl would be discovered.

There was something peculiar about the young woman he was certain, though he could not quite put his finger on precisely what it might have been that had caught his notice. He never caught her name before they separated, but there was one thing for certain; her middle name was "Trouble".

Neither Carrion notice what Letheo was doing and in return Letheo didn't see when Carrion looked up to the pitch-black sky. There were no stars tonight; there were rarely any stars in Gorgossium. Slowly Carrion whispered to himself while he clutched the necklace in his right hand.

"No one is innocent; we only have different degrees of responsibility."


	12. New Shelter

**The Nightmare Catcher**

**Big ****Thanks to Rutoh-Chan for her great help for correcting my grammar and tenses mistakes! Thank you! :-)**

** Chapter 12.**

Even the lack of a warm sun didn't mean that the Island was under a constant cold. Like the Gulfstream, by carrying warm water northeast from the brighter Islands; The Nonce and Ninnyhammer, across Isabella made the climate of Gorgossium, Idjit, and Jibarish warmer than it otherwise would be.

But this moment was one of Gorgossium's cold, red foggy nights, when the pleasant warmth of the Island's very short "summer" season had given way to a chill that bespoke of the months of cold that were fast approaching.

In the gloom that enveloped a town square, a dark, slender figure hurried along, unnoticed by those who lived more comfortably in their cozy houses, apartments or warm carriages around her.

Walking quickly, Carrie blinked and furrowed her brow slightly as she stared at the intangible but decidedly opaque red fog. She let out a small gasp as she saw a fleeting shadow in the fog. A drunken sailor was reeling over a wall, waving a bottle at her. "Hey Honey, want a drink?" He stuttered. Carrie ignored him and continued to walk quickly.

When the boat had hit the bridge of Kythevai, Carrie had been lucky that the servants' headmaster hadn't recognizes an extra member in his staff, not to mention her terribly misshapen outfit. After crouching and sneaking past numerous packages and servants and getting about fifteen meters away from them, Carrie felt safe enough to sprint away without being noticed.

The alleys she travelled through was dank with mold and mildew; the fetid stench of garbage and parasites reached her nose. The dress wasn't her size, but it covered most of her body and had a high collar so she could hide her new companion under it. She didn't like to have the creature too near her skin but she didn't have much of a choice. It was stuck like an eagle and its lighting body shone like a small lamp.

She darted in and out of the alleys; she needed to find something that looked normal to her; she needed familiarity but nothing was normal in this city. Nearly every person she saw and passed in the streets didn't look human at all. They almost looked like they had come from a horror or a science fiction movie, and almost no one looked to be a person to either be trusted or even asked where she was.

After a while she tiredly stopped in a small alley, putting her back down against a cold stone wall. Wrapping her arms around herself, Carrie looked up briefly to the red-black sky.

There was only one thing she had, clutched hard in her hand; an address that the boy had given her. A simple note with an address on it and a letter that she would give to a certain person, the owner of the house or apartment she was going to.

But the problem was that she couldn't trust anyone to ask for directions. Not that she was a coward but to ask someone who looked like he or she was ready to lure you away or wanted something in advance, like a gold coin (Or her life!), which Carrie would have paid them gladly but couldn't because she didn't have any single penny, was too much. And offering sex was out of the question.

Never before had she felt more miserable than this…so vulnerable and lost.

She jumped as she heard something behind her. A beggar pushing an old shopping trolley pulled up, his eyes suspicious and scared as he looked at her but tried to keep his composure. "What are you doing out here?" He asked rather shakily, clutching hard at his precious, dirty belongings. "Shouldn't you be in and take care of your master?" he asked, studying Carries borrowed clothes.

Carrie took a chance. What choice did she have? "…I`m lost and I`m looking for this address." Carrie showed him a small paper and the beggar took a glance on it. Raising his right eyebrow he looked up at Carrie's miserable form. "A runaway eh? From the castle I bet, can't blame you if you want save your life. I know this address but it costs, nothing is free here!" He smiled with his rotten teethes at her.

Carrie bit her lip as she looked at the beggars' ugly teeth and his open palm. "I don't actually have any money on me now but if you could show me the way I can pay you when we reached this address."

"How do I know if you won't trick me or refuse to give me anything? The beggar muttered as he moved up his dirty fingers to remove something from between his teeth. "You might kill me after I showed you the way and dump my body in my dumpster!"

"Same here for me, but I actually don't have any choice! These clothes are the only thing I have."

Finding what he was looking for, he detached something sticky it from his gums and snapped it away. Then the beggar took another glance at her. The girl didn't look particularly dangerous, he scoffed to himself. And considering the address, he might get something for this after all.

"All right, come along with me!" He huffed and waved his hand towards her to come. Side by side they went along on the dark streets towards Carrie's destination.

* * *

Dr Lothario sat translating an old book. He whistled quietly to himself as he translated the beautiful but odd Hereafter language (French) into English. For weeks already he had worked like that: concentrated, obsessed, maniacally. He neither cared about eating or drinking or even sleeping.

It was at times like this that he forgot about where he was and focused on the aesthetics of other things. He relished this moment of the night. He didn't have to focus on anything. It could just be him and his books.

Unfortunately, all of the sudden he heard faint footsteps coming towards his door.

"Grandfather, you got a visitor!" A young girl with black braided hair and yellow eyes burst through the door, dragging someone in a servant's dress after her, head bent in concentration to not trip over the edge of her long skirt.

Surprised and irritated by the sudden entrance, Dr Lothario closed the book he was translating. "Haven't I told you to knock and wait until I say "Come in" before you enter? Can't you see that I`m busy?"

"This servant girl wants to see you, she says it`s urgent." His dear granddaughter Leila said as she nodded back to a very tired Carrie.

He looked puzzled at the new arrival. The servant clothes fitted ill to her thin body and under the purple veil, a mess of tangled blond hair and two deep holes of eyes starred back at him in a steady but tired expression.

"Well" He said in a calm and low voice. "What can I do for you my dear?"

Carrie looked around, slightly intimidated by the dank atmosphere and the dim light, but looking at his small and timid form, his uncombed white hair with a touch of black and blue in it was standing up like a bird nest on his head, his deep wrinkles around his eyes and forehead and his big spectacles, she made the conclusion that he was not entirely dangerous.

She handed slowly a letter to him.

"Well," she began, unsure how to begin. "I need a place to stay…he said…" She coughed a bit. Not because of the dust that was almost covered the whole office, but the fact that she was so cold. "That I should come here and you would help me."

Taking the letter from her hand, Dr Lothario opened it and took a quick look at the message.

_Dear Uncle! Please let her stay and rest here for a while. She`s not dangerous but don't ask any questions. I will come and fetch her later. Letheo._

"Oh that's so typical!" He muttered as he looked up to the girl. "He writes that I should not ask any questions about you or why you need to be here."

Carrie remained silent as Dr Lothario looked at her suspiciously.

"I should ask you who you are or where do you come from. What's your name and why you`re wearing this ill fitted clothing? I should ask how you got here or why my grandnephew wanted to send you here. I should just ask about your broken lip and the black eye and the cause of your great distress!"

Her lips still closed, Carrie's tired eyes looked at him with fatigue and exhaustion. Dr Lothario instantly felt sorry for her and decided he should say something to make her more at peace.

"But I won't…Because I`m too wise not to understand it might lead to more troubles for you, my granddaughter, Letheo and me. But there are two questions I demand you to answer. If you don't answer or the answer is wrong, you leave this building at once and never come back. Do you understand?"

Carrie nodded.

"Does anybody except my grandnephew know that you are here?"

"Only the beggar who helped to bring me here." Carrie said.

Dr Lothario glanced back to Leila. "I gave him some food and some money for his silence and "helpfulness", there is nothing to worry about." She spoke back.

"I didn't have any money to pay him." Carrie added.

"All right. Do you have any guarantee that whoever you're hiding from will not find you here?"

"Yes."

"This is technically a third question, but how do you know for sure?" Dr Lothario wondered.

Carrie paused and thought about a moment before she replied, "Because he probably thinks I`m dead."

Dr Lothario frowned, but then he moved up from his chair and headed up to another door.

"Well?" he said, turning his head back, motioning for her to hurry up. "I haven't got all night, are you coming?" At Carries still starring look, Dr Lothario rolled his eyes. "You passed the test, you can stay here but only a couple of hours until Letheo comes back." Leila glared at him and opened her mouth to say something, but Dr Lothario spoke up. "Leila, bring a lantern! It`s rather dark up there and I don't want anyone to trip on the stairs."

* * *

Later…

Carrie looked around at the room; it was a small Attic, old but clean and neat. A pile of mattresses and blankets against an old and creaky thing that she assumes was the bed was placed in the corner of the room. The only furniture she could see was an old dresser, a mirror hanging over it and a smaller nightstand right beside the bed.

"This is the best we can offer." Dr Lothario said, holding the lantern over his head. "Letheo used to sleep here sometimes, until he chose to live in a "grander" area." Dr Lotharo dryly stated while Leila open the old dresser. Taking out a wine-red blouse, a black scarf, a small black waistcoat and pair of pants, she tossed carelessly into Carries arms. "It`s a little bit old but I think it will suit you, the servant dress doesn't fit you at all."

"Thanks!" Carrie said, observing the scarf closely.

"You seem very tired so you can rest first for a bit until the dinner is ready." Dr Lothario said as he studied Carries face. He didn't see any sort of emotions in her features, except her eyes which seemed tired and exhausted. "But we need to take care of your wounds my dear. I think we have some ice and bandages downstairs."

"Sounds fine to me!" Carrie answered quickly.

"Wonder how you got it?" Leila stated and her unwelcoming gaze revived Carrie's spirits.

Leila looked about seventeen or twenty, almost Carrie's age, but was shorter than her, about five foot one or two. She had long black hair with a blue tone in it which was braided in several long small braids down her back. She reminded Carrie a little bit of the boy, named Letheo from the ship, but her air was more serious and secure. More or less she had backbone.

"From a big pig that I didn't have the chance to pierce with a skewer." Carrie said coldly back. "But I will not be here for long! I'm not going to harm either of you if there is no cause."

"We`ll see. Can I have a moment with you grandpa?" Leila said dryly before closing the door to the room and making her way down the stairs.

Dr Lothario gave Carrie an apoplectic smile for his granddaughter's temperament. "So much like her mother, don't worry! We`ll call you when it's ready." He said before he went downstairs.

"_So much for that…"_ Carrie thought as she took off the dark veil and unbuttoned few buttons on the high collar to get some fresh air on her skin. She surveyed the small bedroom that her host had given her. It wasn`t much but it was clean and comfy enough to rest in, which her body and mind was desperately pleading for. There was a small window next to the bed that looked out over the town. Peeking out she could see the dim street lights that lined the street under her. Resting her forehead against the cold glass, she breathed heavily on its surface and made a mist on it. With her finger she created small miniatures of the creature that was currently quietly resting on her shoulders. Long strokes moving up and down, in circles, waves and spirals on the glass.

Seeing her reflection in the window, she saw a part of the Snake's tail was shinning near her left cheek. In a color of grey and blue, her left cheek look sick and her eyes more hollow.

Sighing tiredly, Carrie fell upon the soft mattress to look up at the dark ceiling. There was a feeling of calmness and peace. A contentment she never thought she would ever feel. As she closed her eyes to let the feeling sink in, in this little room she could finally be alone and start to breathe again.

* * *

The door slammed closed behind Leila as they entered the library again.

"I hope you've chosen a successor, Grandfather," Leila whispered fiercely. "Because you and I will be dead in the next few hours."

"Oh Leila!" Dr Lothario replied, leaning tiredly his back on his old chair. "You think that I`m not worried! Even I don't know how dangerous it is to keep her here, I trust her enough that she will not harm us with her own hands. Beside it was Letheo who sent her here."

"Don't you start with that," Leila cut in. "He didn't like to dust off your old books or learn something valuable he said. He preferred to run around the streets; stealing, robbing, and getting into fights and be tossed into jail again and again. There is no way I'm letting one of his criminal friends like her stay here with us."

"I can forgive him that he didn't want to be a scholar and I can forgive that he took the wrong road. But I think he has conscience enough to not send a dangerous murderer-"

Leila stopped him in the mid sentence "You discarded him! You sent him away when we heard that he wanted to become an assassin and after that he has never made a single contact until now. Are you going to forgive him for that?"

"No and I never will…but we are the only relatives he has and that's why he brought her here. Because we are the only ones he can trust entirely and knows we would be discrete and never ask anything in return...because he knows that we still care about him."

"And you still believe that he cares for us?"

"Yes I do!"

She gave him a long look, but he seemed determined. She threw her hands up with exasperation, "Alright, alright, you win but I don't see this as an act of love from him!"

"I think you can handle this. It just a couple of hours, that`s all!". Dr Lothero smiled affectionately at her. "Judging by her clothes she`s probably a servant girl from the castle. Run-away servants are not so uncommon these days."

"Perhaps but she looks too sunburned to live in the dark all the time." She waved her hand towards her pale face and his. "I`ll make a sandwich and a salve for her wounds but that`s all I will do for her."

"You are a true Angel Leila" Her grandfather smiley said, placing his warm hand on Leilas shoulder.

"Don't push it too far!

* * *

Carrying a silver tray with bandages, salve and a small sandwich Leila re-entered the room.

But her guest was now lying in the bed, sleeping like the dead with her face buried in the pillow and still wearing her servant uniform. Noticing her eyes seemed puffy and red Leila assumed that the girl has been crying. Deeply sunken into the mattress she appeared very small and with her face still white and her wounds swollen Leila almost pitied her for whatever had happened to her.

Placing the tray on the drawer, she picked up the blanket that has been tossed onto the floor and placed it gently over Carrie's body. But as soon as her hand reached near Carrie's head, something tried to wrap around her wrist.

Leila panicked, jerking her hand away.

_What was that?_

A strange looking "Snake" popped out from Carrie's blonde, tangled hair. It hissed, irritated, before trying to take a hold of Leila's hand again.

By pure shock Leila backed away and slammed her back against the door, starring with fear at the strange creature that was now trailing around Carrie's girl moved in her sleep, muttering something she was totally unaware of the "Snakes" slithering body on her back, moving up and down, as if it was protecting the girl from this strange visitor.

Without taking her eyes from the snake, Leila grabbed the doorknob, abruptly and quickly exited the room again, slamming the door shut behind her.

With her back on the door, she took deep breaths to calm her nerves. She hadn't just seen that. She had NOT just seen that.

It was not possible! Was she dreaming?

Holding her breath, she opened the door again, just a crack and peeked into the room. And, just as she'd seen before, there was the girl lying in the bed, sleeping peacefully, with the snake now around her shoulders, hissing softly at Leila.

Leila quietly pushed the door shut, and walked silently but shakily away.

It'd only been for a few seconds, but the image of the Snake was now burned into her mind.

"_Oh Grandfather! What have we done?"_

**Reviews please!**


	13. Panic Attack

**The Nightmare catcher**

**Big ****Thanks to Rutoh-Chan for her great help for correcting my grammar and tenses mistakes! Thank you! :-)**

******Dont forget to Review!**

**Chapter 13.**

Carrie woke to blackness deep enough that she could not see the hands before her eyes. She sat up abruptly cursing herself for being so careless because the wound on her rib protested, causing her to press a hand against her waist to reduce the pain.

Where was she? What had happened…? She blinked once and suddenly remembered where she was. The old man, Dr Lothario, and his granddaughter had offered her a place to stay for the night. The old man had offered kindness and hospitality but the girl had narrowed suspiciously at her. He had mentioned that they would call her when the dinner was ready. How long has she slept? One hour, twelve hours? Looking out from the window, she saw that the sky was still pitch-black so she assumed that she hadn't slept too long. Or had she?

After a careful stretch, she climbed out of bed and threw off the much wrinkled servant dress. Looking around she saw bandages, a bowl of water, salve and especially a sandwich. Starving she took big bites of it and was almost choked by the strange consistency of the bread. But hungry as she was Carrie ate up the whole sandwich in ten seconds. Then she washed her face and cleaned the broken lip and her eyes. She scrubbed every inch of her face, and hoped that maybe scrubbing away the grime would also scrub away the memories from her previous adventures.

She raked her fingers through her hair, put on the clothes her hosts had offered, tucked "Snake" into the collar and wrapped the scarf around to cover most of it. She felt refreshed and clean. She desperately needed a hot shower and a toothbrush, but there was only one main thought on her mind: breakfast.

"_Now where is the kitchen?"_ she wondered to herself as she padded downstairs and crossed down into a small hallway.

After a few turns, she found the kitchen: a small room with wine red countertops, black cabinetry and small windows that overlooked the dark street outside.

Seeing no one was there she called out, "Hello! Is somebody here?"

No reply!

Seeing a bowl with strange red fruit in it, Carrie picked one up. The strange fruit had a form like a plum but was a little bit bigger and it`s color was deep red like blood. She hesitated before she took a small bite out of it. She felt tiny seeds with her tongue and a taste sweeter than a strawberry. It was delicious!

Still munching on the red fruit, she went to another room next to the kitchen, wondering where her hosts had gone. The old man had told her that they would call when dinner was ready. Why hadn't they called her?

Walking out from the kitchen and through another corridor, Carrie chose to enter the door that was at the end of it, which was open.

She inhaled the scent of printed ink and old paper at the moment she entered. For a fleeting moment, she thought this must be a dream.

Bookshelf after bookshelf was filled with books and maps, towers of books that looked very vulnerable, so much so that she didn't dare to breathe in case they would crash down on top of her. In the right corner was a big desk with tons of papers, pens, ink and small colorful cubes that looked like to be aquarelle and strange equipment Carrie have never seen before in her entire life.

Dr Lotharrio was sitting perfectly still with his head bowed down at his desk on the other side of his messy library. At first he thought it was Leila who had entered until he saw the strange girl whom they have giving a temporary sanctuary to. Remaining silent he watched as she walked around, curious what she was going to do.

Something seemed to catch Carries eye and quickly she looked down at a messy table in the middle of the room. He couldn't see the book that had caught her eye but she gave a little sound of surprise as she picked it up and began flipping through it.

What she has found was a simple recipe book, tastefully drawn pictures with step-by-step instructions on how to get the best pieces of a "Nermn Rophja", or rather; a Sea Serpent with golden skin and red eyes, cousin to the Dragons.

The book claimed to have one hundred recipes! How to use the certain meat inside the cheeks, how to basically remove the teeth's without damaging the roots. Most importantly; how to save the lungs. Like the Dragon, The Sea Serpent had lungs that can produce and spit fire and that skin was the best fire proof material you could ever use.

Flipping to one page, she saw one rather unbelievable anatomical illustration of the Serpent. She tilted the book left, then right, then back to the left...and then shook her head.

"_Cousin to the Dragons!? No way!"_

"That can't be true," she muttered.

"Yes, it can," a voice said behind her back.

Carrie turned to see her old man hiding behind towers of books. By pure instinct she slugged the book she held at him right in the shoulder.

"Do _not_ walk up on people and scare them like that!" she yelled.

"Sorry!" Dr Lothario said, rubbing his shoulder with a mock wounded look, before bending over to pick up the book. He read the title and looked at her, not bothering to hide his snicker.

"Ooh! Ahh!This is truly a piece of art, too bad that this creature is near extinction. Why can't some people just admire its beauty and not hunt it for its pelts."

Crossing her arm over her chest to prove that she didn't like this kind of joke, Carrie kept starring angrily at him. The Doctor ignored her soured look. Flipping through the pages he kept on talking.

"Sure it`s a very dangerous creature but I think you shouldn't judge too harshly because of its natural instincts. They kill when they are hungry or if they feel provoked, not for pleasure! If you wish to avoid meeting this creature, learn where they are. If you know where they are you know where you should not go. But if you unfortunately meet it, you need to have the knowledge how not to irritate it and know how to get out from its territory. But if you had a great desire to meet and understand more of the Golden Serpents nature, not to by killing to just investigate its heart and kidneys, but to learn of the creature's true nature, you must show respect and delicacy."

The Doctor looked over at Carrie to see her reaction. He wasn't surprised to see her with a rasied brow at his peculiar speech.

Waving his fingers he continued. "Because if you show respect, trust and know how to keep your distance the Serpent will eventually not see you as enemy or dinner. Perhaps the Serpent will open up and willingly relieve itself; what it really is."

She couldn't help to smirk before saying. "Whatever the Serpent is revealing I really hope that it has mind enough not reveal it`s weakness to the watcher. He might tell it to everyone and that could be the end of HER."

Dr Lothario noticed the change in her demeanor and decided that it was time to back off, or risk losing a limb.

"Would you like some tea? I didn't offer you any tea. Would you like some?"

Noticing his gesture, Carrie said. "That would be lovely…but I think "the Serpent" need something more solid for her stomach."

* * *

They were sitting in the kitchen, taking opposite sides of the table. The curtains in the room were pulled back and the only light was coming from the small lamps over their heads and the fireplace.

Dr Lothario wasn't a great cook but he had managed to create a light meal for himself and Carrie. While he took his bites slowly and avoided making any eye contact with his guest, Carrie ate like she never seen food before. As he avoided her eyes, Carrie took small quick glimpses of his features.

In the dim light the man, the doctor to whom she owed her sanctuary, wore a dark blue working robe over grey, old shirt. It had a lot of black spots of ink on the edges of the sleeves, not to mention his right hand, all his fingers were mottled with black ink. His funny hair was a mess and his eyeglasses seemed to need a nice cleaning with a napkin. But Carrie was quite sure he was no threat. Undeniably, he possessed a gentle but a very determined aura.

He would not have saved her only to do her harm…or would he?

When he looked up at her again she had calmed down a bit and started to eat the rest of the food more slowly.

"Did you have a good night's sleep?" He began awkwardly, as an attempt for a conversation they both were better off without.

"Kind of…"

"The room hasn't been used for a while. It was Letheos before he…well…decided to choose a different path."

"Who`s Letheo?"

"He`s my grand nephew and he was the one who…" Dr Lothario stopped his speech and took a closer look at Carrie. "What are you?" Dr Lothario asked quickly. This was clearly the question he had wanted to pose the entire time.

Carrie looked at him perplexed. "Excuse me?"

"Well…" The old man sighed impatiently. "I mean, how do you earn your living? _What_ are you? "

Carrie blinked at him in surprise for a moment, letting his words sink in.

"What is the best answer?"

"I kind doubt that you`re a servant, the dress you wore was very ill fitted and your hands looks too soft."

"I`m more of an…Artist."

"Oh, are you a musician, dancer, singer?"

"A painter."

"And what`s your specialty?"

"My style is kind of…hard to take in you see. Not for a younger audience! Why do you ask?" she replied with a slightly frosty edge to her voice. "You didn't want to know who I was before?

"Curiosity…" he murmured softly. " I just wanted to make sure you`re not a serial killer. From what I heard recently, Leila said you…"

A series of heavy, rapid steps caused both of them to look up from their conversation, a door slammed, and there stood Leila in front of them.

"Do you have something to say before we throw you out on the streets?" She glared angrily at Carrie.

"What?"

"I was at the harbor to buy some groceries, guess what the sailors and the sellers were talking about? The ship Wormwood is nearby our shore right now, almost destroyed by fire and magic. One of the sailors told me that Wormwood had chased a rebel ship called Lud Limbo and even crossed the line of Izabella and entered Hereafter! The girl Candy Quakenbush's home world! They managed first to capture the rebels and her but somehow they got lucky and fled away by a Glyph! Together with that girl's family and some surviving citizens from her hometown."

"Well even the best can have bad days." Dr Lothario said easily as he took another sip from his cup.

"Take me seriously, you fool!" She took the cup he was playing with and slammed it onto the table, the sound shattering to hear.

"Letheo was on that ship, serving his master and hours later he sends you to us! Strange coincidence, isn't it?" She continued to glare at Carrie.

There was an intense silence, and both Leila and Dr Lothario saw Carrie's hands start to clench. The muscles in Carrie's hands tighten and she stretched her fingers out as far as they could go and back into her palms.

Dr Lothario expected her to run for the door and when she did not budge in the few seconds that passed he asked a question with an emphasis on each word.

"Are you Candy Quakenbush?!"

"No!" Carrie said with a cold voice.

"You`re lying!" Leila said as she walked closer to Carrie.

"I`m NOT her and I'm neither part of the rebels, the servants, or any side at all. I came here by accident when I got captured by the monsters or whatever you call them on Wormwood."

"Really!" Dr Lothario looked at Carrie with wonder. "You come from Hereafter? Why didn't tell us before?"

"Because being a citizen of the town called Chickentown you are automatically on Carrion's wanted list. " Leila spoke back. "I should have known that you are a troublemaker! Why didn't you listen to my advice grandpa when I told you that she would lead us to trouble?"

Her voice cracked and small whining reached up from her lungs as she moved back and forth trough the kitchen. "What shall we do, what shall we do?"

Carrie's eyes started to darken at each word Leila shouted out while Dr Lothario tried to calm her down. Her heart was beating very quickly, flooding the hot blood to her cheeks and head. Her throat felt suddenly very warm and she had hard time breathing; her eyes started to see red.

Then she snapped!

Taking the bowl with the red fruit from the table, Carrie smashed it hard right to the ground. Tiny pieces of the destroyed bowl and the fruit rolled away in different directions while a silence descended on the kitchen. Both Leila and Dr Lothario starred at her with open mouths, but no sound came out of their lips.

Her body trembling and without a single word she walked quickly out from the kitchen. She stormed up to the attic and began to take off the clothes she had borrowed, crumpled them, and threw them away.

She grabbed the servant dress, tried to put it on, but her shaking fingers made it impossible. With fury she threw it on the ground as well. Soon everything was on the ground. The blanket, the pillows, the silver plate, the bandages, the mattress. Everything that was loose.

She couldn't help it! Something in her wanted to scream out loud. She wanted to destroy everything her hands could grab.

Minutes later only her underwear, her bra, and the black scarf where still on when she was finish with the tossing and her energy was drained.

Then Carrie felt something wet on her cheek and she touched it with her fingertips.

Tears!

Carrie began to shake like a leaf and started to feel her legs give out from under her. Falling took a while; it seemed to go in slow motion for Carrie, and then pain brought her back to how everything really was.

She felt realization seep into her.

She knew no one now!

She had no money, no home, no family; she had nothing. Even the clothes on the floor were not her own, except the undergarments she was wearing.

She had always been a lone wolf and when she had run away from her foster homes, she had slept in abandoned buildings, stayed with the friend of a friend, in abandoned apartments or one of the restrooms in the subway. Her clothes and a bag of her personal things had been enough for her and all of that had never made her feel isolated, tired or lonely. Maybe she was too familiar with it? She hadn't been the only homeless, troubled teenage person in Saint Paul. And sooner or later the cops or the social workers would fetch and bring her back either to her foster parents or the hospital. A safe net she both hated and unwillingly needed.

Except the passages, the streets she had run through, this attic and the people downstairs, everything around her was pitch-black. She had absolutely no idea who Dr Lothario and his granddaughter were, or what kind of people. Dr Lothario was kind and had behaved very civilly to her but his granddaughter been hostile and suspicious.

And now they wanted to throw her out into the darkness again.

This realization didn't occur to her until now. She was lonely in an unknown country. Not a country! In an unknown WORLD!

Strange, unfamiliar and unknown…A world she had no idea had even existed before now.

Suddenly it hit her…She moved her hand up to her chest.

Even her necklace was gone! Her Necklace!

The only thing she couldn't live without. It had followed ever since the day everything turned upside down for her. Now it was gone, in the hands of that Carrion man and she would never see it again.

Without realizing what was happening tears started to trail again along her cold cheeks and a small mourn came out from Carrie's lips. To stop the scream that was building inside her, she grabbed the servant dress and clenched her teeth hard in the soft fabric.

"What are you doing?"

Dr Lothario and Leila stood at the doorway, looking worriedly at her. Without her clothes on, their eyes saw what has been under them. There were small cuts and scrapes that were still fairly fresh on her arms and leg, but what most surprised them was a purple bruise the size of a large fist that covered the area over the left side of her ribcage.

Trying to regain her composure and coldness Carrie spoke with a slightly shaking voice.

"Wwwwhhhat d-do you think, I`m giving your clothes back. Trying to put on another dress that isn`t mines which…" She began to laugh as tears trailed down on her cheeks. "It`s not my size at all and not even my dress either."

Tears and laughter…two things she hadn't done in years and now coming out at the same time; she felt like a complete maniac. She could feel her chest constricting and her breathing becoming labored, every muscle in her body felt like it had turned into hard steel.

Leila's face looked like she regreted her nasty words and pitied Carries feelings. Dr Lothario knelt beside Carrie, trying to put a friendly hand on her shoulder. By instinct she pushed him away and glared coldly at him with her red eyes.

"Calm down girl!" He tried to soothe her. "I need you to take a deep breath for me. Put your hand on your abdomen and push it out for me. Can you do that?"

Carrie nodded and leaned back against the bed. With her hand on her stomach, she took a shaky breath but it was hard.

"Take your time, don't rush it. Take a deep breath in and breathe out slowly." Suddenly her skin around her shoulders was getting colder, it tingled at bit but her vision was clearing and she kept breathing, in and out, in and out, until her head stopped moving.

"How do you feel?" Dr. Lothario asked.

She took a moment before answering, "I don't know."

"I believe you`re having a panic-attack. Take it easy, let your lungs work and try to relax."

"You're hurt!" Leila said, her hand reaching out to the wound on Carrie's ribcage.

"It's just a scratch," Carrie mumbled as she turned her face from Leila, pulling away.

"Don't take Leila's words too hard, she didn't mean to upset you. I understand that everything here is strange and scary, you surely miss your parents and home," Dr Lothario said as he pulled the blanket over her shoulders.

"Well, I don't have any hopes they will come…and save me… I have no parents and those who fled left me on that ship…probably thought I`m dead or... not important enough to…rescue." Carrie said between her deep, hard breaths as she tried to give her lungs some more fresh air.

"You`re important enough to get saved by Letheo and us and I don't believe at all that they left you on purpose. You didn't choose to enter this Island."

Dr Lothario waited for the girl to calm herself. "Child…nothing you say while we are alone will result in trouble, as long as you are honest". Appearing incredibly concerned for the well being of a girl he just met, this threw Carrie for a loop; she didn't expect this kind of reaction from a man she barely knew. From old experiences she knew there was always a little catch.

"You sounds like a therapist, are you a Doctor?" she wondered, tilting her head back to stretch her neck for a moment and let more air fill her lungs. Her muscles started to be less and less tense, as if they had been strained so tightly that they had now given up, turning into soft jelly.

"Not what you call a "Therapist" but I am a Professor, in History and Literature…but…"

"But?" Carrie said back. She moved her head back and turned her face to him. He took a deep breath, waiting anxiously for Carrie's reaction.

"I`m not a Doctor but would you be so kind to let me take a look on the creature you have under your scarf? I think it wants to come out."

He could just imagine what was going through her mind but slowly she moved her hands up, taking off the scarf that was covering her little secret. The Snake hissed out in scorn, and Dr Lothario nearly tripped over himself as he jumped back in shock. Its color rayed with grey-orange light and sparked like electricity.

Carrie stared at it and then looked to Dr Lothario helplessly. She shrugged gracefully.

"What should the Golden Serpent do if it has kids?"

* * *

"Just sit still" Leila sighed as she pressed the bandage onto Carries bruised ribcage ignoring Carries hisses of pain. Unrolling a long, wide bandage, Leila passed this over Carries shoulder, across her chest, and back under her arm.

The snake watched her impassively; the glassy, flat pools stared, unblinking, taking in its master's face as she grimaced in pain.

To prevent the Snake attacking Leila, they had simply put it in a jar and sealed it. Humiliated by this kind of treatment the Snake rumbled and made the jar jump. Once in a while, Carrie gave a hard knock with her hand on the jar to silent it but minutes later the dance would begin again.

While tending Carrie's wounds, Dr Lothario sat behind a shelf with books between them. He had done a quick study of the Snake, or rather the so called "Nightmare" and explained simply to Carrie and Leila, that this Nightmare has been created directly from Lord Christopher Carrion's own mind.

"It's truly an amazing story Carrie but I find hard to believe that you managed to tame it." From his view (Without seeing Carrie topless) he studied the Nightmare with fascinations in his eyes.

"Can't explain either, but now it's my new pet."

"You can`t have a nightmare as a pet!" Leila said shocked. "I will never go to sleep if this creature is haunting inside the house!"

"Do you have any better ideas of to get rid of it then?"

"Yes!" Leila said. "Just throw it out in the sea or flush it down the toilet."

"Tried but this thing can swim!" Carire muttered. "Plus it prefers to have its territory around my throat so I have a direct eye contact with it."

"We will help you to take the next ship to one of the Day Islands where your friends are. Maybe they can help you to remove it permanently," Dr Lotherio said, trying to sound reassuring. "I don't want to be indebted to one of the wizards or the warlocks here. They would surely see what kind of "Snake" it is and they are not exactly to be trusted to keep this a secret."

"You cannot leave!" Leila sighed as she finished wrapping.

"Why not?" Carrie wondered.

"Because Mater Motley has recently announced that all ships and boats are forbidden to leave or enter the harbors of Gorgosseium, in threat that the rebels or spies might enter the Island."

"Oh dear, this is not good!" Dr Lothario said while he took down his spectacles, examining them. After a couple of minutes he spoke: "I'll make you a deal." He spoke, making Leila and Carrie turn to him over the bookshelf. "You work here for half pay, and I'll provide you a place to sleep here."

"What? Do you know what will happen if they find out!" Leila protested and looked back at Carrie. "Even if you`re just an "innocent" citizen of Chickentown you are part of their hunting list and if we`re helping they will arrest us for treason."

"You may be right." Dr Lothario spoke as he still observed the Snake more closely. "But as you said Carrie, they think you`re dead or with Candy so their focuses will be on the day Islands and not here. Remember the borders are now closed and no one can get either in or out. You`re trapped here but this is the last place they would search."

While carefully pulling her shirt over her bandaged body Carrie thought for a moment before she replied mildly."Only until I can work something better out. Not that I`m not used to fleeing and hiding, but I really want to go home. I don't belong here and I have some…business to take care of."

"This is crazy!" Leila muttered. "It will never work!"

"It might work buuut…" Dr Lothario began, his eyes twinkling, something his granddaughter usually dreaded because it meant he was up to something. He got up and tottered out and returned with the ancient book. Carefully he set it down on the table beside Carrie and opened it. Showing the illustration of the Golden Serpent to them.

"Remind me… of the story again?"

"The Golden Serpent? Not very much to tell." Carrie said as she looked down at the page.

"We said that to get close the Serpents takes time, respect…and trust."

"I understand. Just tell me what to do." Carrie said.

"First things first, you'll want to change." Dr Lothario told her, still with his smile smirking on his face.

"Change, into what?"

"A Dragon."

"A Dragon?" Carrie couldn't help to smirk. "Do you want me to change into a Dragon?"

"Do you know the Golden Serpent's hidden specialty is when it feels hunted?"

Carrie was confused beyond belief as she sat up in sofa, carefully adjusting herself in a more suitable sitting position. "Don't know but what's that have to do with me or Dragons?"

"It can switch color on its skin; doing that you won't see the difference between the Serpent and the Dragon."

Leila bit her lower lip, from anxiety as much to keep herself from arguing any further.

And this was the beginning of many surreal days (or rather nights) of Carrie Reilly's new life.

"_Turning into a Dragon…well…In this world I wouldn't be surprised if they could…literary…Wouldn't be so bad to have wings...What choices do I have?"_

Carrie could only imagine the struggles and hardships that awaited tomorrow. This was only the first night of living here, within the confines of their arrangement. What would it be like to spend a month or two with these people, in this strange world she never heard of until now and especially on this Island?

The Midnight Island! Gorgossium!

The question was would she be prepared for what was ahead? And also, most importantly, did they have a toothbrush, or two?

**Dont forget to review! :-)**


	14. Strange Nightmares

**Happy Halloween everyone!**

**Well…perhaps not so "happy" considering what`s happening on USAs east coast this moment!**

**I hope you all are taking care of yourself and your families when the great "Sandy" or "Frankenstorm" are over your heads right now. I`m following the process from my computer and TV! Reading the latest news, seeing all the pictures and cameras shots from New York, New Jersey and Washington etc I can't help to shiver when I see these terribly pictures. **

**So, those of you that live in the northeast area, I pray for your life and welfare and hope this storm will be over soon!**

**Be strong and brave my friends, I don't want to lose any of you.**

**The Nightmare Catcher**

**Chapter 14.**

Carrion opened his eyes and felt a warm sticky mess trailing out from his almost rotten nose. He didn't have his glass collar tonight so he wiped the nosebleed from his nose with a gentle swipe, careful not to let the blood drip on his black nightshirt.

Getting up he walked fast and looked at himself in a small mirror hanging on the wall. He hated to see his disgusting reflection. He hadn't had a nosebleed for years!

Look at this! His veins were still flooded with blood. Warm blood!

His vision was blurred and his heart was pumping. He had no idea what had happened, but a sudden headache washed over him and sweat poured down his face.

He was still young man and the ability to control his nightmares and give them a physical form was still developing. The effort to get them out from his mind was still difficult… and pretty bloody.

Before he had come up with the idea to penetrate the back of his head with two tubes, since the only way to letting his nightmares out was either from his mouth and nose. But none of the options was not very pleasant to use. Using the mouth made him gag and almost throw up each time. The nose was easier, but it still caused a tremendous nosebleed, a great headache and it wasn`t very good for his nose either. Because of the gastric acid from his stomach, his nose had started to wither.

Carrion swayed a bit in front of the mirror, a gesture the reflection dutifully followed.

What`s the cause of this strange reaction?

Walking quickly to his desk, Carrion opened one of the drawers and pulled out a small black box. He ran his fingers across the box, mumbling something before removing the latch.

His damn mind chose that moment to bring back those images he had wished to banish from his thoughts.

His nightmares with whom he always inhabited this dark realm called his mind, the place where he is the God of pleasurable and horrible dreams. But ever since Candy Quakenbush had entered Abarat, his dreams had started to focus on her and his former love, princess Boa. Sometimes it was Candy, sometimes it was Boa who haunted him. Tempted him with promises of love, friendship and happiness. Deep in his heart he knew it would never come true, and to avoid this seductive torture he now rarely slept.

But this strange dream was different. Very different!

He remembered that she had been standing with her back to him on the main balcony on Castle Inqustict highest tower. Her black locks hung loosely around her shoulders. Her dark blue dress fluttered in the wind while she held in her hands a bouquet of night flowers.

He had moved closer. Was it his Boa or was it Candy this time? Their backs were similar. She started to turn around and he had stopped walking. Always in his dreams he expected her to look at him with a tender smile on her face. In this dream he had tried to reach her. Just simply to hold her, kiss her, to tell her how much he loved her and begging her for forgiveness of his crimes. He hadn't cared if he revealed these emotions to Boa or Candy. For him it felt they both were one and same person.

But that time it hadn't been Boa! It wasn`t even Candy!

It was that girl from Wormwood!

The hair, the dress and posture had been Boa's but instead of her innocent face was that girl's cold face, looking straight at him.

That angry, arrogant and foolish girl who had had the nerve to scream at him and call him… "Pathetic!"

How dared she invade his mind and nightmares? Letting her face replace the pure image of the princess he loved and the girl Candy that he desired to understand and control. She hadn't deserved to be there. That was his realm; he was the ruler in his dreams and nightmares and he was going to show her, that mere illusion, that he didn't tolerate trespassers, not even in his mind.

Concentrating hard he had made the long blue gown to shrink. All the ribbons, jewels, the long sleeves and the soft silk disappeared on her body, leaving on her thin body a plain white linen, more like a sterile hospital gown. Her feet and legs were bare. Her blond hair disheveled. This lack of clothes had made her look skinny and vulnerable.

The beautiful balcony and the atmosphere were changed and turned into a sterile hallway. The floor had become shiny and yet dull. The walls had become clean but the color was boring in state of greyish blue. It was light but everything was grey, grey and grey. Clean and sterile!

Strange? How had he come up this vision? A hallway?! Like a hallway in a hospital.

But he had missed the opportunity to watch his nightmare feed her fears to Wormwood. To watch her face distort in agony and horror as his nightmare fed on her fears. That had been his chance and she was ready to be executed.

The girl fingers had still grasped the blood red night flowers in her hands; but then she had moved her left hand and squeezed the soft petals hard so a strange red liquid came out through her fingers and dropped over her white gown.

The small stems of the ruined flowers had begun to move and wiggle in her hand and had started to move up over her bare arms like small snakes. Holding her arms up, he saw the strange creatures trailing over her arms, her chest, her shoulders, neck and through her ash blond hair. The colors of their skins had changed from green into a mass of colorful and bright lights.

Carrion had observed the girl's face.

She hadn't reacted at all to the sudden transformation. She showed no fear.

She had looked straight forward towards him but she hadn't seen him. Moving closer he had seen that her eyes were blank and dreamy, like she was blind. She reached her hands up grabbed one of the creatures and moved it closer to her face. Her grey eyes looked at the creatures small head like in trance. Her face hadn't given away any emotions. Then she looked down on the other comrades over her body. Picking them up one by one, she had examined them closely.

Her stare conveyed no emotion. And at first, he had doubted that he heard correctly when she suddenly whispered.

"I don't understand…why are there so many? I didn't remember there were so many!?"

Carrion had regarded her for a long time, then leaned forward and took one of the creatures from her hair and had held it in his hands.

"Don't you feel anything? No fear?" he had softly whispered.

"No…I don't but…I should!? I just saw many terrible things just a moment ago. Corpses, maggots, monsters… death. Things a normal man would die in fright of…but I didn't feel anything when I saw it. This is my dream?"

The Lord of midnight had stood over her, watching her with the smile like a mildly amused father.

Was she a ghost? He always heard of trapped spirits unable to move on because of unfinished business or unjust death. She wasn't the first ghost, spirit or illusion who tried to haunt his dreams. His lack of fear, the immunity to horror and his sharp sense that he was just dreaming made it easy for him to erase and destroy them.

"Your dream? This is my dream and you are invading it my dear."

She had raised her hands in a defensive gesture, still not looking at him. "No! This is my dream, but why don't I feel anything?"

"Because you`re merely an illusion. An illusion created from my mind though I don't understand why. You are not worthy to be here! This place belongs to me and my princess." Carrion had said coldly.

Still not looking at him a small smug smirk appeared on her face. "I don't have any wish to be a princess! Being an princesses means you will only die slow and painful death in the end!" She had broke out into hysterical laughter. The girl laughed like a maniac, holding her stomach with her hands as she kneeled down on the floor. "D-Doesn't m-matter if you`re a good or a bad princess. All princesses die…" The laughing had stopped and looking up through her tangled mess of hair, her eyes glowed as she smiled at him, showing him all her white sharp teeth's in her mouth. "But some princesses deserve it and Boa certainly earned it. Don't you think?"

Seconds before, he almost felt pity for her but mocking his beloved Boa made his rage started to flood trough his veins. He couldn't help to grind his teeth's hard as he looked down at the girls shaking form.

Just as he was about to enclose her slender neck with his long fingers, she had reached out and grabbed his wrist and finally _glared_ up at him. The creatures over her body began to meld with each other, transforming into a gigantic shimmering Nightmare. The skin shone with a light brilliance reminded him of his own nightmares when they were "happy". It had begun to move closer to Carrion.

She had shakily placed her hands in his, wrapping her fingers hard into his cold ones. "Idiot," she had told him. "This is _my_ dream and I want you to leave it."

Suddenly the creature sent out a zap of electricity that shot through his hand and arm and into him. His whole body became numb and his eyes saw stars and flashings; then there had been the most painful but wonderful feeling he ever felt in his entire life.

The images of his beautiful and terrifying nightmares in his head always had suddenly disappeared. The girl, or was it the creatures light, had strangled his terrors and all he could feel was nothing. It had felt so peaceful and quiet that he let himself drift away, losing track of time. In this moment his dark memories didn't clench around his heart and throat with sadness, regrets and terrors.

The bad things were forgotten by this intruding, but something was ripping apart.

Opening his eyes he had looked down. The force of the girl was weakening. Tears had streamed down the girls face as she screamed. Not in terror, not in pain… He didn't know if she saw the inner parts of his soul, like Candy had in Dead Man's house but that wasn't the reason for her despair.

This kind of pain wasn`t this kind of pain he loved to watch, taste and feel.

It was something else...pain that had nothing do with ugly monsters, torture or horror.

A presence he hadn't felt in four years but now was coming back.

Then he had heard another sound, this slight bang with an echo. It had startled him and by instinct he had spun around. That was when he had seen it.

Feeling his muscles tense unwillingly and unable to move, Carrion had stood in stunned silence as dark shadowy arms extended towards him and the girl; he couldn't see a face or a complete body but it branched out in a thousand directions like watery ink running down a page, covering everything into complete darkness. It had removed Carrion's hand from the girl and like black silk it had wrapped around her, covering her from head to toe like a cocoon and was ready to take him too.

"_Leave." _Was all Carrion heard from this strange creature.

In this moment Carrion awoke, sitting in his armchair in the library…all alone.

He had felt…afraid?

A feeling he rarely felt because he had seen too many horrors and pain in his life. He was the Lord of Midnight. But there was something about this moment that was just so…epic.

Back in the present, Carrion growled, tightening his grip around the girl's pendant. The temptation to throw into the fire or out from the window was there but he didn't do it.

Why didn't he simply do it? Why keep this trash from a girl who had insulted him and called him "pathetic" and "lovesick puppy" and showed up and gave him…this "nightmare".

He had no answer for that…

Damn it. Nothing was right anymore.

Were they out to get him again? Were they going to try to plague him in every resting moment? Why did this girl outshine both Boa and Candy? His heart was beating faster but he didn't feel any soft feelings for her.

Why?

Was she still alive? Despite his having given her one of his worst "nightmares"? Impossible! But where was his nightmare he had so kindly given a decent meal of fear? It wasn't in the red bedroom when he went back to fetch it.

He needed to find out! He needed to find out who she was and where she was.

Immediately!

* * *

Carrie bolted up from her bed like she had gotten an electric shock, panting heavily. She was covered with sweat and her palms were bloody; she realized she had dug her nails into her skin while she sleeping.

Her eyes searched the darkened room for any signs of danger or monsters. She checked under her bed just in case. Leila had warned that sometimes Boggarts or rats could make a temporary nest here and these neighbors weren`t pleasant to have right under her mattress.

All coasts were clear and she slumped back against her pillows, her blond curls in disarray, trying to restrain her erratic breathing and slow her racing heart.

"_What kind of nightmare was that?"_

She couldn't remember exactly. Visions of terrifying beasts, maggots crawling and eating on rotten corpses. A dead man hanging in a gallows, his stomach open and all his guts hanging outside. He wasn't alone. Dozens of unfortunate victims were hanging beside him. All with open stomachs and over their heads crows were flying, getting ready to feast on the corpses. She saw Bloodsucking Bats, man-eating flower and gigantic Wasps with black eyes and sharp stingers with poisonous venom in them.

She saw them, they repulsed her but she didn't feel anything…nothing at all. She felt numb. She didn't care on what she saw.

When she turned around the images disappeared and with clear eyes she had seen Christopher Carrion coming out from the darkness, looking down at her. She had said something to him but she couldn't remember what. Suddenly her head felt like someone had dug a sharp knife through it. Making a open wound that poured out all her hidden emotions. It was so painful!

Then suddenly something wrapped like long cold fingers around her head and body and everything went black.

That was the moment she woke up from this terrible nightmare, feeling her heart beat quickly inside her chest.

It wasn't that she was unused to nightmares, she knew what kind of nightmares she mostly dreamt of but this nightmare was different. Never before she had felt…exposed and helpless, like she was a little girl again. She stroked her nose with the backside of her hand and noticed the nosebleed on it.

Nosebleed again! She shuddered.

It had felt like he had tried to rape her secrets and memories from her. Trying to see what was inside of her head. The bed creaked as she moved into a fetal position and tugged the blanket over her head, trying to ignore the awful feeling that started to make small knocks in her stomach.

Suddenly Carrie froze.

Who turned the light on?

Her breath left her momentarily but then she remembered. Eyes snapping open, Carrie gazed down over her right arm; it was her "dear Snake", her own personal night lamp.

It glowed with light grey blue color and under the skin; small white bolts pulsed up to the Snake's head, creating a bright light like a small lamp. It seemed to be very content and very fat. Like It had just eaten a very good meal and now was very tired.

Using this opportunity and without warning, she grabbed the snake by the edge of the tail and stood up. Walking to the window she opened it. Checking no one was outside Carrie tossed the Snake out and down into the street, two floors down.

"Next time you interrupt my sleep, I will use the shaker again!" She hissed.

Closing the window and with a tired groan she let herself drop back onto the bed. Taking her sketchbook from the top-drawer, she opened a page. Holding a sharp pen in her irritated and shaken hand, she started to sketch.

Ten minutes later she was pleased with the result and she felt more calm and safe. Carrie tucked the sketchbook back in the drawer and laid her now calm head down on her pillow.

It was just a terrible dream, nothing else! It wouldn't come back again.

In a couple of minutes, she could hear something in the distance; banging, banging and banging again.

Her eyes after minor resistance opened and stared at the window. It was black outside (as always.) but Snake was back, glowing, its tails and petal head hitting the window. It made a light sound with Its "mouth". Like an annoying cat.

Carrie tried to ignore it but the repeating sound was getting unnerving. She placed the pillow over her head.

"Go and torture someone else, just let me sleep in peace!" she moaned. Moments later the banging stopped and Snake was gone from her sight. She took a deep breath and began to fall into, this time a deep dreamless sleep.

If Carrie wasn't so tired and angry, she might have been more careful with her words.

Obeying the new masters every command and will, the Snake took her orders very seriously.

**Great Thanks to Rutoh-Chan for helping me with the grammar and the tenses! Thank you :-)**

**Reviews please!**


	15. History of Gorgossium

**Great Thanks to Rutoh-Chan for helping me with the grammar and the tenses! Thank you :-) If there something in the story you think I need to change, delete or add, please send me your critique. ****I want to improve in my writing skills!**

**Reviews please!**

**The Nightmare Catcher**

**Chapter 15.**

After three hours of work, Carrie ducked down to the kitchen for a snack. She found Dr Lothario at table, chopping an onion with tears in his eyes and half a dozen other vegetables surrounding him. Watching her entering he set down the knife and turned his attention to her.

"So," Carrie produced a bunch of papers from her bag, "I've recorded all of the inconsistencies and the grammar mistakes you have made and changed the tenses a bit."

She handed the list to Dr Lothario who smiled as he took it. "You`re worth tons of gold Carrie."

"Hey, after you have read Allan Edgar Poe thousands of times you can tell the stories in your sleep. Here are the illustrations you wanted." She gave him a map that she put on top of the papers.

Taking an apple, she slipped into a chair on the other side of the table and threw down her other things black book with blank pages and colored pencils she had received as a gift from Dr Lothario. She opened it and began to draw with great concentration. Whatever she was drawing she made sure the page was invisible from Dr Lothario's curious eyes.

By Abarat, the girl was relentless with whatever she was working on. He simply tried to ignore her, as had become his routine with her in the shop, but the curiosity was threatening to cause him to explode at any moment.

Before he could ask for a peak, the backdoor opened and Leila came rushing in, with a basket filled with bread and cheese.

"Do you know how I hate chopping onions?" Dr Lothario teased accusingly.

"I know, I know, but I just had to get the latest news!" Leila moaned while she fumbled deep in the basket and picket up a much wrinkled newspaper. "It`s not easy to get them these nights!"

"And what is the latest news, as if I can't guess?" Carrie asked. "They still haven't found them." She observed dryly as Leila threw the evening newspaper down on her table.

Some wondered if the women in Hereafter possessed unique powers. From what Candy Quakenbush had done; escaping Wolfswinkel's greedy hands and freeing his slave Malingo. Using Abarabtia, creating a glyph and managing to run away from Criss-Cross man several times. And this other Hereafter girl; who had beat him up and destroyed his eye was now lining up with other stories of Candy, together with possessing an unknown monster from Lud Limbo. No-one knew where it had come from or why; when the Stichlings were trying to catch John Mischief who was climbing on the masts, a hideous monster had appeared on Lud Limbo's deck, causing chaos for no apparent reason, ripping apart almost the whole crew of Wormwood. It attacked the rebel's Glyph when they fled, but when they were high up in the sky, it had loosed the Glyph, which had fallen down and smashed hard on the deck and died.

No witnesses seemed to be able to describe the creature in the same way, (remember they are Stichlings): some held it as over seven feet high with glowing red eyes, others gave it a spiderlike form and a deathly green skin, others gave it the appearance of death itself, its head shrunken like a skull with a appearance that almost resembled Prince of Midnight, but with thousands deathly sharps teeth in its mouth.

Rumors said it was Candy who created it or the Hereafter girl.

But the rumors also said as a punishment, Lord of Midnight himself took care of the girl, with his own Nightmares and that was the end of her.

But a few wondered; if the girl had this incredible power, why didn't she defend herself? Who was she? What was her name? Was it really she who created the monster or was it actually Candy?

These were only rumors and nothing should be taken as 100 percent true and Carrie had made it clear to Leila and Dr Lothario that this incident had nothing to do with her. She was in Wormwood when it had happened and she definitely wasn't a Witch, a Sorcerer or anything of that kind. But she admitted that would be very cool to have some spells under her sleeves if she ever got attacked again.

But, like Leila, Dr Lothario had his moments of skepticism, especially in the face of so many different rumors. They were certain that there had to be an element of truth in them somewhere, and the thought frightened them.

While Leila read aloud the recent news, Dr Lothario left his safety spot and approached Carrie silently, not wanting to frighten her off before he could take a small peek of her drawing.

While hiding and trying to make a new identity for herself, Dr Lothario had discovered that Carrie liked to draw and read when she wanted to be alone. Noticing her sketches and daubs on wrinkled papers that she tossed aside when she wasn't pleased with them, he had picked some up and looked. Several of them were sketches of the street outside the shop, others were pictures of him, Leila or just a basket of fruit, some time others were a strange demonic creature Dr Lothario had never seen before. Seeing the quality and how she tried to capture the light and shadows with a simple black pen, he proposed a deal with Carrie.

If she wanted to make her time here more useful, she could make small illustrations for some of the old books, especially the literature of Hereafter. They were mostly frames, repairing or reprinting some of the old books illustrations, but it helped her to not get bored while she was in temporarily "grounded".

Carrie agreed to help him with that. Several of the books were classics and she remembered very well from the English lessons about their contents. Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility", "Wuthering Heights", "Hunchback of Notredame" and "The Crow". She had no mind to draw the darker tales but most the difficulty were the complicated and silly tales about love and sentimentally. She hated them!

These drawings she allowed Dr Lothario and Leila to see, but her little black book was her great secret. Everything from her head and deep imagination are put down on these pages and was absolutely forbidden: no one was to see!

He was just close enough to catch a small glimpse before she looked up at him. He saw the brief flicker of surprise in her grey eyes, before it passed and was replaced with suspicion. Quickly she closed the book before he could take a closer look.

"Sorry," he excused himself.

"I simply can't believe that!" Leilas suddenly flashed.

Carrie's head snapped up. "What?" She had missed what Leila was saying.

"The paper says that the Council of the Hours is going to have an emergency meeting at Yebba Dim Day. After what happened at Chickentown, they want to meet Candy Quakenbush and her family personally and to analyze how such a big flood was ever created!"

Carrie took a peek at the front-page. The headline emblazoned in smudged newsprint across the front page read, ''Candy Quakenbush in Court! Innocent or Dangerous?"

"What will happen to her?"

"I don't know? Several of the Councils probably think that she has something to do with the Carrions and might be dangerous for the Day Islands. Others may think she`s innocent, just a common girl and perhaps give her protection from the Carrions. It`s difficult to see." Leila said as she flips to next page.

"What about her family and the people from Chickentown?"

Dr Lothario whips his red swollen eyes with the edge of his sleeve. "When they were closing the boarders, certain rules were made that no citizen from Hereafter are ever permitted to immigrate into Abarat. If someone accidently enters without permission of the Council, they will be arrested or sent back to their home country."

"So the Council will send them back to Chickentown?" Carrie said hopefully. "Then I have to get to Yebba Dim Day and join them immediately."

"You can't, it's still too dangerous. Even if you stole the smallest canoe, you would be eaten up by one of the Sea-serpents Carrion has installed around the shores." Leila sighed as she moved to another page.

"And how in Gorgosseums name did you get this news then?" Carrie jerks the paper away and waves it in front of Leila."Did you take it from the corpse of a postman who hadn't been informed about the Serpent?"

"Air Mail!" Leila said with a scheming voice as she tried to grab the newspaper. "Good bats can fly very high or very low! Unfortunately for you, only light packages."

Carrie held Leila's cool gaze for a long moment, before Dr Lothario broke the silent war between them, "Why don't we call it a night off and have you help me with the onions instead. They stings my eyes!"

"I want to go out!" Carrie suddenly said. "Even if there's a Sea-Serpent outside."

"No, you can't!" Leila said with a sigh as she closed the newspaper.

"Outside will always be dangerous and I have been inside almost two weeks. You live here and have managed to survive all the assassins, criminals and monsters out there." Carrie said as she crossed her arms, looking very determined.

"That's because this part of the town is one of few sanctuaries in Gorgosseium. If you traveled outside the city, you would be dead." Leila said.

"With my new outfit no one will recognize me! I just want to see the town! Is that too much?" Carrie scoffed as she ran a hand through her messy hair.

Dr Lothario sighed heavily, looking out at the piles of onions and vegetables that hadn't been chopped up yet.

"All right…Leila you are her guide, show her the town, shop for something and come back soon, before dinner.

"But grandpa!"

"If you meet any of our friends or neighbors, you both know what to do. You both definitely need to cut down some of your Cat claws. Just a short walk than come back here soon. Do you understand?"

"We understand," the girls said at same time as they walk out of the kitchen, Carrie with a satisfied smirk and Leila with a face that showed nothing of joy or excitement.

Before walking out, Carrie moved in front of a small mirror that stood on the main hall. She turned her head slightly to the right and brushed her hands through long black hair that now lay smoothly over her shoulders. The wig was a long, straight, black hair with a bag(?). When Carrie had put it on the first time she had felt like one of the Japanese girls she had once watched on TV. It was the total opposite from Carrie's messy grey blonde hair, and it changed her appearance. The bag made her face looks rounder and her grey eyes more blue. Using Leila's borrowed clothes, mostly dresses and a thick scarf around her throat to cover the snake, she looked very different from her former self.

"Are you ready?" Leila asked as she moved behind Carrie.

"Yes," Carried replied smirking at her reflection.

"Remember who you are, where you come from and what your new name is," Leila warned.

"Yes, yes and yes!" Carrie sighed as she put on one of Leila's black coats, careful to keep the hood of her cloak over her head before they walked out.

* * *

The town was in its bustling hour, moving and thriving. Small boats were constantly floating, trafficking through Black River, delivering woods, metal or paint for the constructions and reconstructions of new ships and boats, including the Wormwood.

Kytheai was splinted into two parts by a black river called Black River that ran though the town. The river ran from the north and through Kytheai, where it emptied into Sea of Izabella. Several Ghauts were placed near the river where people were washing, bathing or taking a small ferryboat to the other side of the Island; to Unizak or the castle Inqustict. The stone buildings lay very near each other and there were several streets that were very narrow; it was hard to walk through them and some of them had very steep hills so if someone accidently dropped a coin, fruit or loosed a wagon, they could be sure that it would be absolutely impossible to catch it. Carrie felt like she was on a night tour of the streets of Venice. The architecture looked so old and worn-out and the streets were so narrow and almost invisible. But so beautiful!

Leila showed Carrie the west parts of the town where small shops, markets and pubs were. She showed Carrie which streets were safest to walk and which ones were far too dangerous to even enter.

It wasn't a long walk and soon they entered a cafe at the next corner. By recommendation Leila ordered two drinks called "Sleepless Dream" and they took a seat in the corner of the café.

The cafe was heavily crowded. People of all races and professions were standing or sitting, relaxed and much too interested in their company to notice the girls' arrival.

Sipping her drink, Carrie watched in wonder the particular citizens that walked in and out of the café. Even though she was mostly used to these strange monsters and hybrids by now there was always something that got her attention and made her eyes big as two coffee cups.

The girls kept silent throughout but it wasn't awkward between. Actually, it was one of those comfortable silences they rarely shared in the bookshop. Leila was especially comfortable with it and Carrie didn't seem to mind either. Watching Carrie while she took a sip of her drink, Leila notice that Carrie wasn't uncomfortable, sour or icy like when she or her grandfather had tried to ask Carrie about her past or her black book. Carrie looked calm and peaceful now. Maybe it was a good idea to let Carrie to go outside and see a part of this place. Just in case, Leila checked if the Snake was still invisible and not waving its glowing tail in Carrie's wig or on her shoulders or on her back. Luckily the Snake was in one of its resting moods tonight so Leila could finally have time to relax.

"Leila!"

Greatly surprised, Leila almost choked on her drink and turned around. There stood a young woman with dark purple tattoos that looked like thorns all over her face and arms, her head almost bald except for two purple strings each side of her face and another string behind her back. She carried two drinks in her hands and she looked at Leila and then at Carrie with wonder and curiosity.

"Hi Meela!" Leila smiled nervously.

"Been a long time since I've seen you; who's your friend?" the girl name Meela asked as she tried to hug Leila without spilling her drinks.

"Oh this is…"

"I`m Lori Lothario. Leila's cousin," Carrie lied calmly. This was the moment Carrie had been prepared for. She, Leila and Dr Lothario had been studying, creating and practicing several times for this occasion, to make sure no one would ever suspect who she really was.

"Cousin?"

"I just arrived from Yebba Dim Day. I'm here to help my uncle with his books and Leila with her chores," Carrie lied again and gave a small smile towards Leila. Leila smiled back in return. "I have recently been too occupied in the Uncle's library so Leila practicality dragged me out to give me a chance meet some new people tonight."

"Really…I didn't know you have a cousin Leila? Well…welcome to Gorgosseum then Lori, to the darkest, cruelest and most mysterious island of them all." Meela proclaimed as she moved up one of her drinks to a toast. Leila and Carrie did the same and cheered with her.

"You know what they say! You can't call yourself a true Gorgosseum citizen until you have survived one month here," Meela teased and winked at Carrie; she in return gave just a small smirk back and took another sip on her drink.

Suddenly a group of tree green skinned boys appeared in the doorway, laughing loudly at one of their comrades silly jokes and heading towards the bar. All of them looked to be living or born in dumpsters. Something smelly like rotten garbage exudated from their skin and was reaching into Leilas, Meela and Carries noses. Far away they greeted the girls with a sharp like smiles on their faces.

Meela rolled her eyes, and moving her head near Carrie's she whispered. "Lori, let me give you some advice; those three loudmouths over there are Peter, Trix, and Chapp. Don't pay no attention to them, they're just jealous that they didn't have the first opportunity to meet you." Glaring daggers back at them she continued. "They're not to be trusted and whatever you do, don't ever walk outside alone at night. Especially not here! This is not Yebba Dim Day. But…" She moved closer. "But If you ever need a date or two let me be your personal adviser, I know some perfectly nice guys you definitely can take a bite out of without getting poisoned!"

Giving another wink Meela turned around and walked away to join her friends.

"That was Meela, she works one of the nightclubs in the southern areas of Kytheai. She can be a bit much with her teasing but she`s a good friend." Leila explained as she sipped on her drink. "But her taste in men and women should be discussed."

A smirking but slightly puzzled Carrie turned to meet Leila's eyes. "I don't understand how you and your grandfather can live and work here. This Island is the home for all dangerous creatures, evil thoughts and terrible nightmares. A bookshop is the least scary place you can walk in to!"

Leila shrugs. "It is like any other islands; Gorgosseium are dependent on import and export to bring an income; groceries, textiles, iron etc. Seventy percent of the Island is unpopulated because of the many dangers or not fit to live in, so the majority of the population lives in limited areas, so the Carrions and the nobles are very dependent on us."

"Dependant on an bookshop?"

"No! Leila said. She took up a small pen from her jacket and started using a napkin as paper to make a small map of the Island. "We have three harbor towns on the Island." She said as she made three crosses on her makeshift map. "Kythevai, Unizak and Vrokonkeff. Unizak and Vrokonkeff lay nearest to the thirteen towers and are the most dangerous places to live in." She made a small tower right between the crosses that represented Unizak and Vrokonkeff and continued. "Unizak is notorious for having the most dangerous assassins and criminals. Vrokonkeff is connected with the Todo Mines so almost 78 percent of the populations is slaves or Todo-workers. Todo mines are our main source of exports but Kythevai is equipped for constructions and launching vessels." She pointed to the third cross that lied on the east side of the Island. "Wormwoods were built here but anyone who has a small decent heart or wants to live a calmer life chooses to live here."

Carrie tilted her head up and looked around the café, and then she looked back at Leila. "And even here you still need a dagger or a gun under your cloak," she said pointing at her small dagger tucked under her belt.

"You haven't seen the rest of it!" Leila muttered. "Think of it as a vestibule before entering the true horror. But the Carrion family…well at least Christopher Carrion and the nobles wants invest something more cultural and entertaining than just the mines." With the pen she made a straight line between The Thirteen Towers and Kythevais and showed it to Carrie.

"Kythevais position lies perfectly so that people can just take a boat between Unizak and Kythevai in a couple of minutes. Far enough to mostly not get caught and be in peace and do whatever you want, but not far enough that the thirteen towers won't see you."

Carrie nodded in silence as Leila went on.

"When grandfather was young he saw the great development of the city; writers, musicians and painters were warmly welcome to share their art and music to the royal family and the citizens. Christopher Carrion's mother, Beatrice, was their patron. She encouraged writers, especially those who are born on the Island to write and paint everything that is connected with Gorgossieum and Pyon.

"Why?"

"Gorgosseium was long isolated from the main cultural phases and movements that swept across parts of Abarat when the Islands and Hereafter did business with each other. The former Queen at that time forbade any communication with Hereafter because she suspected that your culture would have a bad affect on the Island. Few merchants dared to break her rules by using a different route to enter Hereafter, and they got severely punished when she discovered them and ended their trade with your world. This means that Gorgosseum has maintained a great part of its traditional culture more than any other Island of Abarat and Queen Beatrice wanted to collect and preserve it. Grandfather, whose ancestors came from Pyon and Gorgosseum, got a high position as a history teacher and a small amount of money for his research in Gorgosseum's history."

Keeping eye contact the whole time Leila seemed very proud of her grandfather's advancement, but then her smirk dropped as she continued with the rest of the story.

"Unfortunately Queen Beatrice and almost her whole family died in the great fire 34 years ago and that was the end of the dream of creating a town that might bring Gorgosseum into a different light. Very few come to visit the Island now and not even in Klepp's almanac gives any recommendations to do it. Not I`m blame him but…."

An abrupt interruption halted her when one of the green boys tried to get Leila's attention but Leila shot them an annoyed glance and received a raised eyebrow in return from the leader of the gang.

She decided to ignore it and continued.

"Even if the dream is long gone and Kytheai is now very different from what it used to be, it still possess some cultural status and is one of the safest places to live on the Island. Because of grandfather's past as a tutor for the oldest of the Carrion children, he is under the protection of Lord Carrion. No one is allowed to hurt him or destroy his business, but in return he must obey and be loyal to the Carrions in every command. Half of the books you have seen in grandfather's office belong to Carrion. His job is to rewrite and repair some of the oldest books and make sure no one will touch them with magic."

Astonished, Carrie puts her hands flat on the table and stared at Leila; "But why in "Lordy Lou" did you take me in then?" Carrie whispers as she leaned forward. "If you are under protection of Lord Carrion and must obey his orders, why did you and your grandfather help me? Why did Letheo give your address to me and why are you telling me this now?"

Leila did not like the questions or trying to answer either, because she honestly couldn't figure it out herself. "Grandfather can be very bold and reckless sometimes. He takes too much for granted that no one will ever find out that you are "wanted" and not his "niece". But like he says, probably no one would guess that you are here. And as for the reason Letheo sent you to us, I think you should ask him yourself."

Lost in their thoughts, Carrie and Leila did not hear the thudding footfalls of the three young men until their green and smelly bodies flanked them on every side.

"Look what we have here," one of the boys boasted as he leans down to their level. "Are you lonesome, sweethearts?"

Leila tries to sip her drink and completely ignore the company of their unwanted "admirers" that had just appeared beside them. This trio wasn't unknown to Leila on the streets, she was used to their flirtation and their attempts to catch girls they could have fun with, but she gave a short peek towards Carrie, wondering if she felt uncomfortable from the sudden interference. Carrie did the same as she, having a stone face except for scrunching her nose from the awful smell of one of the men's terrible odor.

But just as soon as Leila thought they would leave them alone if they just ignore them, they tried to make conversation with Carrie.

"I have never seen you before?"

"What`s your name?"

"How old are you?"

"Do you want to hang out with us later?"

One of them leers closer to Carrie, moved his dirty fingers to tug on the long locks of her fake hair and twirled it. Carrie didn't flinch but her eyes started to become darker and darker. Her hand seemed close to breaking the glass she was holding as her other hand went under her scarf, holding the Snake tightly so it wouldn't make any stupid moves like attacking him. Leila closed her eyes and exhaled a deep, nervous breath. This was not going to work out well.

Once again, they were interrupted, but not by the other laughing boys. Instead, it was the crash of the door being thrown open against the wall. A man with criss-crossed tattoos over his face came stumbling in.

Everyone was staring at him; some whispered and seemed very scared or bemused by his appearance, he could barely stay on his feet and when he saw that the café didn't serve any alcohol he began to swear and shout.

Carrie took a small look and then quickly glanced away, her body becoming stiff. She licked her lips, her tongue sliding in and out as quickly as a snake's.

"Leila, we need to get out of here…"

"Do you know him?" Leila whispered as she watched the yelling man.

"I meet him at Wormwood. I was the one who gave him the nice eye-patch."

"Oh Lordly Lou!" Leila's face went pale, now remembering who that was and quickly opening her pocket and laying the money for the bill and tips on the table and then standing up.

The boys, confused by their sudden departure tried to convince them to stay. Allowing her stress and irritation get control, Carrie grabbed her drink and launched the liquid over the guy's head that stood nearest, the same guy who had been playing with her wig. Sputtering, the man stumbled away from her, wiping his eyes free of from the milkshake Carrie had been drinking.

The idiot rush and the young man's loud begging and shouting made Houlihan turn around to see what was going on, but unfortunately for him the girls had already put on their jackets and quickly walked out of the café. All he could see was the back of two dark-hooded women and a very confused soaking young man, on which the pink color of the milkshake made an awful dirty match with his green skin.

* * *

They didn't talk during the fast walk from the cafe; Carrie was too occupied with her thoughts, and Leila too nervous to make any small talk. Taking a shortcut back to the bookstore, they walked along the shores of Kytheai. While walking they passed a long dark bridge that crossed over the east part of the Island and ended on a very small Island that seemed to lie in the middle between Unizak and Kytheai. Red fogs were lying over the Island that seemed much darker than Kythehai and more haunting.

"What is over there?" Carrie wondered. From the distance Carrie could see something that resembled a black tower rising over it. High fences were lining the shores and two huge creatures with massive axes were guarding on each side at the ends of the long bridge that connected the Island to the Mainland.

"That is our one and only graveyard here on Gorgosseium." Leila said as she looked nervously at the Island. "We bury our families there. It`s quite a gloomy place and I have never entered it. But people, who enter it, must pay the guards one gold coin to use the bridge. One gold coin to enter it and another coin when they wish to leave. On the other side of the Island lies another bridge but that one goes straight to the chores of Ingustiqt."

"What happens if I only have a one gold coin to enter but have nothing to pay when I want to return home?"

"The guards will refuse you entrance to the bridge and force you to stay on the Island until someone can pay for you. But there are very few who enter it so if someone gets stuck without having money to pay, the possibility of seeing another visitor could take several days or perhaps weeks. Some poor people have died of starvation because of their grave mistake of not having any more money. And it`s absolutely no use to persuade the guards. There is a reason why they're caring those axes!"

A gentle breeze picked up and breathed into Carrie raven-colored wig. Loosening her scarf a bit around her throat to let her little companion get some fresh air, Carrie watched the black sea of Izabella, separating them from the small Island and further away; Unizak and the dark castle Ingustict.

"You`re lucky you know," Leila suddenly said.

"Lucky for what?"

"That you landed here on Kytheai and not over there!" Leila pointed over to Unizak. "If you had you wouldn`t be alive right now!"

Carrie peered down at Leila. Like her cousin, her height only reached up to Carrie's shoulders which made Leila feel much shorter. "I`m not surprised that you don't want me here or even like me."

"It`s too late. We are too much involved in this and if they ever caught you, we`d be both dead." Leila sighed. Having nothing else to say or argue, the girls walked for a couple of meters in silence before Carrie opened her mouth again.

Not having her eyes set on Leila, Carrie eyes were getting blank and distant, "Abandon hope, you who enter here."

"What?" Leila stopped mid-stride and turns to look at Carrie.

"The way you described the town and the graveyard, I couldn't help to remembering an old poem; about a region on the edge of Hell for those who are not saved even though they did not sin. Where people who were neither good nor bad went after they died. A beautiful but somber world with no hopes of redemption."

"What`s this place called?" Leila said curiously. She had no idea what Hell was but they way Carrie spoke with a very unusual soft and calm voice, made her mind wonder.

"Limbo!"

* * *

Later, when Leila and Dr Lothario were already deep asleep Carrie was still lying wide awake, having too much on her mind. She admitted that even though she really liked Leila a bit a part of her wasn't particularly happy about the younger girl's presence. The truth was she was still worried about what impact this was going to have on her, and that fact scared her, causing a part of her to resent Leila and Dr Lothario.

And she hated it.

So she did what she always did - starting to plot a back-up plan, searching for a way to get things back to how they used to be, before she entered Abarat.

But then again, the life she had lived before the wave, was it something to long for? Only one good reason she could think of: Him!

However, considering the fact that she really did like Leila she hoped it wouldn't be necessary to do anything to get rid of her. Making her sad and hurt.

But after what she had seen tonight, she wanted more! Her curiosity was too strong to be ignored. This place was too fantastic and just being just inside the bookshop and the streets around wasn't enough.

She wanted to feel a taste of adventure.

She hated feeling like this; trapped and bored... She was used to being in control, to knowing what was going to happen on her conditions; but right now she had no idea what was going to happen next.

She knew the risks and wanted to follow Dr Lothario and Leila's rules. If she made just a small mistake, all three of them would be in great danger.

But at the same time, that did not mean she could not have a little fun.

From what Leila has shown her tonight, this place was no more different from the disreputable areas and ghettos of Saint Paul or the other places she had explored during the nights. She knew how to fight and she had managed to beat down that Houlihan man, the most dangerous bounty-hunter on the Island. She knew how to take care of herself!

Right?

Just a quick peek, what was wrong with that?

Carrie smiled and with thoughts like that in her mind she started to finally drift off to sleep, dreaming of a dark haunted cemetery, red fog moving over old stone graves and a strange familiar man with the strange fishbowl around his head walking slowly around this cold and ghostly world she desire to explore.


	16. The Cemetery Part I

**Because the amount of words in the chapter 16 "The Cemetery", almost 6000 words, I had to divide the chapter into two parts. Part I and II.**

** I know I should make the chapters shorter and not being so slow but I can't help it. It`s my style. ****I like to write details and give the characters, like Leila and Dr. Lothario some good meat in their personalities. **

**Of course I love to read some good old juicy romantic stuff but I want to bring my story deeper than that. The information about the history of the Island (In chapter 15) and the Carrion family, Kytheai and especially the cemetery may look unimportant and a little bit boring to read right now, but it will be very important in the future chapters.**

**Hope you`ll understand!**

**You are very welcome to send me a message and tell me what you think of the story, if there something I should add or change or there something you`re wondering about, please feel free to write to me.**

**The Abarat world, Gorgossium, Carrions, Candy etc belongs to Clive Barker, I`m writing only for fun, not for money! **

******Great Thanks to Rutoh-Chan for helping me with the grammar and the tenses! Thank you :-)**

**The Nightmare Catcher chapter 16, Part I.**

Creeping downstairs, Carrie carefully avoided the creaking steps on the staircase, pausing at the bottom and peering towards the library where Dr Lothario lay on the chair, cradling a heavy book over his chest while he snored. Carrie smiled at his sleeping form, tiptoeing to the front door and edging outside. She tucked her sketchbooks and pens in her bag, put on a jacket and braced her shoulders with her scarf to cover the Snake as she went out.

A brisk wind whipped through the street. The weather in Gorgosseium was getting colder but it was refreshing so Carrie took a deep breath as she began to walk.

She took the familiar path, the one she and Leila always took when they were heading to the market, and it didn't take long until she was at the entrance to the bridge where the giant was patrolling.

Quickly, before she changed her mind, Carrie laid the money in the Giant's big open hand and quickly stepped up on the long dark bridge. Small lanterns hovered over her head to brighten the way as she walked carefully on the slippery and cold wood under her shoes. The young girl's hand lightly touched the Snake that hung under her scarf. A habit meant for her long lost necklace but instead she felled the weird creature's substance. It hissed a bit but Carrie ignored it.

At the end of the bridge she saw another Giant patrolling, bigger than the last one and much more frightening. She noticed something one the spikes of the high fences but couldn't see what it was. Like the last time, she hurried away to avoid the Giant's angry glare and moved down the small path towards the graveyards. The temperature felt like it had dropped several degrees and the wind picked up, cutting her like a knife.

It was dark, much darker than she had expected and Carrie shivered. It wasn't like the cemeteries back home where gravestones were clean and well taken care of with candle lights or flowers laying over the graves, a peaceful place.

This was a cemetery of great despair and misery!

Was she really wise to enter this forsaken place without Dr Lothario or Leila's permission or guidance? Was she insane to do this all alone? Why this urge? Why this hurry?

The atmosphere made her start to lose her determination to move forward. She drew her collar tightly around her neck. She could see her breath appear in soft, white clouds in front of her. Trying to gather her courage again, Carrie raised her chin and began to walk again.

Moving from statue to statue, her finger tips lingered over the cold stones of the wondrous creatures, made by unknown sculptures who had carved them with their own hands. Most of them were carved in the likeness of a Nymph or an Angel, or rather an odd inhumanly but peaceful creature. Instead of arms, some of them had gigantic wings spreading up over their heads like they was ready to fly away. Sprouting up here and there amongst the peaceful creatures were sculptures of Grim reapers and Gargoyles, hanging down over the gravestones like they are ready to take or feast on the poor souls that lay in the grave under them.

Carrie saw many different signs and symbols on the graves, but she saw no crosses or any symbol that belonged to any Christian, Islamic or any other religious belief she could remember from high school.

These graves and statues looked like no one had taken care of them for many years. Some of the statues were broken; no arms, broken wings or no head. Many of them were covered in Ivies and moss but here and there Carrie saw few candle lights, but they barely lifted the spirit in this god forsaken place.

As she walked on the small road, the wind sent a flurry of dead leaves skittering across the sidewalk, their brittle edges making small scraping noises against the ground.

Despite the darkness and the cold, the cemetery intrigued her! Despite the hesitation before, she really wanted to be here; she wanted to make some sketches of whatever she could find here.

She wanted to be alone and be herself just for a while.

Three weeks she had been under hard supervision by Leila and Dr Lothario. Except when she wanted to be alone to be with her drawings in the corner of the library, they had never lost sight of her. Dr Lothario was alright; she didn't mind his curiosity or his love of talking about his books and the history of Abarat. It was interesting but she was tired of staying every night in the small bookshop, having Leila as her chaperon when she wanted to go outside just for a short walk. It was getting unnerving. Leila didn't like her because she was an Outcast and dangerous to be with. But she let her be alone with her sketchbook when Carrie saw something interesting to make a sketch of: the riverbanks, the market, people's faces or poses, garbage or the architecture. Everything that intrigued Carrie made her pick up her sketchbook and pen and perhaps for 30 seconds or 30 minutes have her eyes completely set on the object and her pen and paper while Leila waited patiently beside her.

She wanted to be free from the pressure to be on her guard all the time!

Pleased with what she saw here, Carrie sat down on one of the broken stone pillars, opened her red book and began to draw. The Snake moved up from her scarf and circled around her shoulders, shinning with an orange bleary light which made it easier for her to see the drawing.

After what seemed like forever, but in reality was just about twenty minutes, Carrie finished her drawing with satisfaction and rose up with a little grimace; the cold stone had not been kind to her butt and limbs. She stomped her feet lightly, waving her arms to get some warmth back. She moved back to the footpath in search of another interesting object. Carrie suddenly stopped and frowned at her spot.

Even if Carrie had sketched for just a couple of minutes it was long enough to stop paying attention to the dangers. All was too quiet! No crickets chirping or owls hooting. She should have realized before something was off; the air was still and yet full of anticipation.

As she walked faster, as a chill ran down as her spine and she could swear that she felt someone was watching her.

She was so consumed with her thoughts when she turned another corner and walked right into them. Her eyes looked up on a small hill where two boys were arguing loudly to each other over a naked corpse.

"No, this is not enough! You're being reckless! You will put both of us in a dangerous position. Remove it at once and use this instead! It`s much fresher!"

"Oh come on! Do you know how hard it was for me to find these fingers?"

"How about we cut and sell your fingers instead!"

Their backs were facing Carrie so without taking a single breath, she backed slowly away from them.

Unfortunately, another and much sharper voice behind her back cut her escape and through the boys' chattering. "Hello Darling!"

She stiffened at the voice, turned around, kept her emotions in check and face stone-set as she looked at him. He leaned on the fence, smoking a cigarette while smirking at her. A dark, green, worn-out coat hung loose around his tall figure and dirty brown pants covered his skinny legs. His hair looked like a bird nest and under it the boy smiled with yellow browned sharp teethes. There was no doubt where Carrie had seen him before. Who wouldn't forget the person whom you splashed a whole milkshake over?

"I have no quarrels with you," she replied blandly, reaching for the pocketknife she had in her pocket.

With the sudden interruption of their argument, the boys on the hill moved their faces towards Carrie and their comrade. "Who is that?"

"It's Miss Lori, Dr Lothario's little ward. You spilled a whole glass of milkshake over me, remember?" the boy called Peter replied, and now, much to her surprise, her knife was in his open palm. "Looking for this?"

Trix and Chapp watched with curious faces as Peter dragged Carrie up to the hill while pointing her knife on her back.

"Were you spying on us?"

"No! Just trespassing and having the misfortune of hearing your little drabble!" she replied, squaring her shoulders with confidence while looking back at Peter.

"Perhaps you want to help us with our…'work'," the boy named Chapp suggested while traveled his eyes over to Carries black sketchbook "What do you got in that book?"

"None of your business!"

"Oh come on! You have seen our little secret so it`s fair that we can see yours."

"Not interested, my little secrets are my own little secrets and not for some…grave robbers." Carrie spoke back as she clutched the book hard in her hands.

"Hey! Do you have any idea how hard it`s to find just a couple of fresh fing…" Trix tried to say but got suddenly a hard smack on his head by Chapp.

"It`s not I`m underrating your way of living, I believe it must be very hard and tough and only 'strong' and 'brave' boys like you can manage it," Carrie said dryly.

"Are you being sarcastic with us?" Peter said as he moved the knife closer to Carrie's face.

"Oh no, it`s absolutely not my intention to insult you, rather but I was thinking…." Carrie pretended to hesitate as she looked up "innocently" at Peter. "Nay, forget it, it`s a stupid idea."

"What`s kind of idea?" Peter's eyes narrowed at her suspiciously.

"How about…using my beautiful, slender fingers to draw a group portrait. You three together! Sound good?"

The boys Chapp and Trix looked each other before they returned with an agreeable smile on their faces.

"I have seen you scribbling a lot on the streets!" Chapp said as he combed his fingers through his oily hair back to show off his face. "My face is not so bad don't you think!"

"Making a group portrait of couple of grave robbers in the middle of the cemetery? How do we know you won't trick us?" Peter said as his eyes looked suspiciously at Carrie. Carrie picked up her black book. She browsed a couple of pages until she stopped, and turning the chosen page in front of them she said with a calm voice. "I won't and as you can see it`s worth the effort!" The page showed a couple of portraits of unknown citizens of Gorgossium. Mostly drawings, some of them sketches, others well done in the scales and shadows. The boys looked at the drawings with fascination.

And obviously…their vanity won!

"All right but no tricks!"

Standing three feet away, Trix and Chapp positioned themselves in awkward but hilarious poses. Showing off their muscles and chests up with a great pride. Still standing on her spot, Carrie picked up her black book, opened a page and started to draw. Beside her was Peter, keeping a watchful eye on Carrie's process.

"Why are you here of all places?" Peter said.

Still keeping her eyes focused on the paper, Carrie said with a neutral tone.

"Just wanted to take a nice walk in the cemetery. Why do you steal corpses?"

"It`s harder to get a nice corpse in Unizak or Inqustict." Peter shrugged. "But be assured we pick the best pieces and no one has ever been disappointed."

"So the pieces are worth more than the whole 'Object'?" Carrie couldn't help to smirk a little, still keeping her eyes down at the paper.

"That`s right!" Peter smiled as he picked up a fresh hand from his large pocket on his coat and waved it towards her. "Maybe this might inspire you?"

Carrie stared at it with surprise and disgust. "No thanks! I think I have enough inspiration by your comrade's faces! Do I dare ask a question again?"

"Sure!"

"Is it not illegal? Stealing corpses?"

"Of course! That's why the guards are guarding the bridges."

"But if the guards are watching the bridges, how are you going to bring out the "pieces" without getting caught?" Carrie wondered.

Peter couldn't help to laugh. "The thing is…The Guards are very, very very stupid! Their orders are to guard and charge anyone who wants to use the bridges, but the most important one; make sure no one takes anything extra with them when they leaving the Island. They can smell if you`re caring a rotten cadaver, a stolen family treasure or even just a small trinket in your bag. "

"I don't believe it!" Carrie said.

"Hey don't distract her; you might ruin the whole picture!" Chapp shouted as he tried to remain his now tiresome position with his arms in the air.

"Shut up!" Peter shouted back and continued, moving closer to Carrie. "It's like this: If I had a dead family member and I want to bury her in the cemetery, the guards will permit me to enter, together with a spade, a wagon, a coffin and the corpse. After I have done my duty to bury my dear…'aunt', I pay another gold coin to the guard again and leave, only with my spade and an empty wagon. They allow me to leave with fewer things on my back, which is to say without the corpse. But if I just take with me, let say; a withering flower bouquet, watering can, a small golden ring or anything that I didn't have when I entered." He pointed at the rotten hand. "They will notice the little extra weight and kill you."

"Sounds very hard to make a fortune as a grave robber then?"

"Answer this riddle: How can I! A simple grave robber, make a fortune to dig up corpses when I can't take them with me?"

"I don't know? If I did I think it wouldn't be smart to tell you!"

"Oh you`re clever, do you know that!?" Peter laughed. "After you are finish, perhaps you want to join me for a drink?"

Carrie moved her eyes up, finding Peter's face near her own.

"I thought I already gave you one last time?"

"More like pouring all over me…but I forgive you…for this time. Come on! You`ll have your best night ever I promise." Peter whispered into her ear. Carrie smelled his terrible odor from his mouth and she almost gagged. It smelled like rotten eggs, old garbage and definitely from rotten corpse. His right hand moved up under Carries scarf, in attempt to brush his fingers on the back of her neck. "What else can you do?"

"This is not up for discussion," She replied coolly and before he could register, something wrapped around his wrist and gave him what it felt like an electric shock. Horrifying pictures started to dance in his head and he gave out a loud scream. Without wasting any second Carrie brought her foot up and hit him right between his legs and then ran down from the hill as fast as she could.

At first Chapp and Trix stood there bewildered and confused while Peter lay down moaning on the ground with his hands over his precious jewels.

Then there was a smooth, silvery sound as the boys brandished up their weapons. Knives! Sharp, blood-stained knives and started to run after her.

Carrie moved almost entirely on instinct now. Trees and bushes with sharp branches rose up around her and she ran through them. The forest seemed practically pitch black and Carrie could hardly see where she was going. She tripped once and pain flared up as the ragged stones tore up her palms, elbows and knees before she got up again and continued to run.

After she entered a small clearing she finally saw the main road that would lead her to the bridge and her salvation. Only focused on getting to the road she forgot where she was placing her running feet. Suddenly, when she should have hit dirt, instead she seemed to fall into a big black hole! Carrie screamed as she fell, and then landed her face and chest hard on a dirty, cold floor. She tried to sit up, but it was difficult. The hard hit made her lungs unable to breath and in her head she saw flashes of stars.

Then, feeling the textures underneath her hands she suddenly froze. It felt rough, cold and through her nose she smelled something very rotten.

She was sitting over a coffin!

She looked up to the surface and Carrie saw three mud skinned heads peered over her at the edge of the hole.

"This must be our lucky night!" Peter smiled triumphantly.

Desperately, Carrie started to climb up, trying to dig her feet and fingers hard into the soil. Bits of rock and dirt fell as Carrie struggled to hold on, but the earth was too soft and her feet slid and she slipped down, landing flat on her ass on the hard coffin.

The boys laughed hard at her desperation and became more when Carrie started to scream angrily at them. "Give me a damn fucking ladder and let me up! Does it look like I`m enjoying this?" She created a small mud ball to throw on one of laughing faces over her.

Unfortunately she missed and the boys continued to giggle.

"No but I think you will?" Trix replied.

"And how is that?" Carrie spat.

"Do you know what kind of a coffin you`re standing on?" Chapp said teasingly.

"Well no?!" Carrie glanced down at the coffin. It was old and rotten and she could fell the stench of the corpse inside it.

"You see, there is a good reason why we don't take whole intact corpses!" Peter said, watching her with a wide, satisfied smile on his face.

The hairs on the back of Carrie's neck suddenly stood up. Small scratching was beginning to sound inside the coffin.

"Because the living dead don`t really appreciates us when we borrowing their arms and feet."

"So try not to lose your head down there. He really wants to replace the one he`s missing." Chapp shouted back.

"Would you like to donate your heart or kidneys to us when you`re dead?" Trix said smiling.

"Think of the offer I made earlier! It`s still available if you`re interested!" Peter said as he observed Carrie angry and terrified face.

"Do you think I want to fuck a dirty little maggot like you? Forget it!" Carrie screamed but the scratching was starting to get louder and harder; whoever was inside wanted to get out!

She gasped and tried once more to climb up but failed. The desperate need to escape this monster swelled, her fear was beginning to grow larger and wider in her fast throbbing heart.

Desperate Carrie dropped down to her knees and pushed all her weight down to prevent the creature from coming out. Now she regretted every word she had said. Looking up again she saw the boys were still watching her miserable situation.

"Please let me up, please!"

The boys continued to laugh and enjoy the show. They had absolutely no intention to ever help Carrie from this undead creature under her.

Inside, her thoughts was wild and panicking, screaming through her head, demanding that she to do something, say something, _anything_ to get her out of here...

Suddenly the Snake gave off a high pitched whine and trailed down from Carries neck and landed on the coffin. Finding a small hole in the coffin the Snake wiggled in. Then a high pierced scream was heard inside of it. So loud it seemed to pierce through Carrie's skull, spreading an intense pressure throughout.

She was unable to stay on her feet's, the coffin under her moved like an earthquake and she jumped up and down on it.

"Let me up! Please let me up! Please, please, please!" She screamed over the sound of unearthly bawling while she covered her ears.

Never had she ever felt so afraid before.

Suddenly the coffin stopped moving under her and the air around became silent.

Silent as a grave.

Carrie laid there over the hard coffin in a fetal position; hard breathing and trembling body showed signs that she was still alive and intact but shocked at what had just happened.

Wiggling its way out from the small hole, the Snake moved back up to Carrie's shoulders and under the scarf placed itself very content around Carries throat again, now with a yellow bright skin that gave It a small peaceful light in the darkness around her. It comforted Carrie. Moving up slowly and exhausted, she placed her back on the wall and then looked up at the edges.

Peter, Trix, and Chapp laughing faces were gone.

"Hello?" She called out. "Anyone up there?" She waited.

And heard nothing…

Had they left her? Left her to die and rot in this cold grave?

She tried again to climb up but the earth was to wet and she fell down again.

"HELLO! CAN ANYONE HERE ME?! HEEELP!" She screamed and tried again to climb up but it was pointless.

Carrie began to panic again. No one knew she was here! Leila didn't know, Dr Lothario didn't know. No one did! Except the grave robbers but it was very unlikely they would come back and help her up.

Was she going to die…here? In this cold unwanted grave. The thought terrified her! Now she understood how people with claustrophobia felt when they were entering elevators or caves. It was terrible!

She promised that she would never enter this cemetery again, that she would never disobey Leila and Dr Lotharios orders again. She promised to be a good girl and never do this stupid thing ever again..she promised…

Like someone heard her prayers, a makeshift rope ladder suddenly was thrown down right beside Carrie. Surprised, Carrie looked up to see her rescuer but couldn't see anyone. Quickly she grabbed the rope placed her shoes in the earth and very eagerly she climbed up fast from this death trap.

As she reached the surface she looked around confused. The other edge of the ladder was knotted on a tree not far away but she couldn't see her rescuer.

Was it the boys? No, she doubted it!

With one last heave Carrie managed to climb over the edge of the grave and was finally free. Exhausted both psychical and physical, she stretched her whole body out over the ground and closed her eyes, letting the soft grass tickle her face and ignored her chest and legs getting dirty by the mud under her.

She was up and finally free and never had she felt happier!

"Are you all right miss?"

**Reviews please.**


	17. The Cemetery part II

**The Nightmare Catcher chapter 16.**

******Great Thanks to Rutoh-Chan for helping me with the grammar and the tenses! Thank you :-)**

**The Cemetery, part II.**

It was a silly question and she should had been prepared, considering she had escaped a Zombie, Vampire or whatever was down in the dark grave and someone had actually helped her with the ladder. But the stranger's voice triggered Carries basic instincts and ignoring the strangers question; she quickly leaped to her feet, took her bag that was laid few meters from of her and dashed back towards the entrance to the cemetery.

Her clothes were now dirty by mud and her wig needed to be properly brushed but she didn't care. She wanted to escape this wretched place. When she came to the entrance and saw the giant patrolling, her beating heart seemed to calm down and Carrie could finally take a deep happy sigh.

She was just about to give the Giant his fee when she discovered that made her confidence shatter into thousands of pieces.

Her gold coin for the bridge was gone!

Carrie frowned. She was sure she had put the coin in her pocket….maybe it was in the other one. Moving away from the giant, she desperately checked her other pockets in her coat but found nothing. She looked into her pockets of her pants and then in her bag, checking if there were any holes. But it was gone! Thinking how this could have happened she remembered the moment Peter had brushed his shoulder with hers.

To sour her mood even more her black and red books were gone to! She had dropped the bag before she fell in the grave and the boys must have gone through it and taken the books with them. This was even worse than losing the gold coin! The books, especially the black book were her most private and precious things she had!

Despaired and angry she placed her bruised butt on a big stone and cursed to herself. "WHY WHY and WHY I 'am such a dumb, stupid, reckless, idiotic little girl who got this idiotic idea to make this idiotic visit to this idiotic cemetery in the middle of this idiotic hour!?"

"Well maybe you are! Visiting the cemetery alone and in the darkest hour is not a really a wise decision." Carrie hadn't see the towering shadow hovering over her until she heard his voice and quickly like a hare she jumped up, whirling around to see who had spoken to her, clutching the strap of her bag and ready to swirl it a like a hammer.

The man was tall. Very tall! But he was slender, elegant and he was wearing a black old coat together with long grey vest under it. Thanks for the lamps from the bridge; Carrie could see the details of his face and clothes. It was simple embroidered together simple black buttons. The trousers were simple black and his high boots were black too, except for the mud that covered them, she even noticed that his sleeves were dirty too. Was he a grave robber? His hair looked to be blond and thin, combed into a long ponytail over his back. His face was sharp with deep cheekbones and small bristles on his jaw and cheeks, and the skin around his eyes was a little bit bluish, perhaps from lack of sleep or nourishment? On his nose, small spectacles with black frames were half covering his ice blue eyes, which stared down into Carrie's grey ones with a curious glint in it.

"Who are you?" Carried asked.

Was he a mourning visitor? He cared a basket with withering flowers and a small spud in it.

"I`m the caretaker! I have the responsibility to make sure that no one disturbs or vandalizes the graves." Mr. Caretaker said as he gave a slight bow to her. "And also trying to make the cemetery…more presentable." He showed his basket to Carrie.

Still Carrie was on her guard. After been in Abarat, or Gorgossium almost a month, she had seen many different creatures and humans in many different sizes, shapes and colors. Except Leila and Dr. Lothario, this caretaker was the first normal person Carrie had ever encountered.

He seemed to…normal for her taste.

"Then you're not really good at it! Why didn't you notice the grave robbers? This couldn't have been their first time digging up graves here!"

"My timing isn't usually idealistic," He said dryly as he removed his spectacles from his nose and began to cleanse them with a handkerchief. "I am trying to stop this vandalism but the grave robbers are very clever. And after so many years as a caretaker I have learned not to interfere with the visitors who want to be alone and mourn their departed family members in peace. You get used to so many mourning cries so your voice didn't reach my ears until I noticed the difference. Well, actually it was the boys noisy laughing that caught my attention. Unfortunately when I came I saw them running away the opposite direction. I tried to catch them but they were fast, but it doesn't really matter right now, what I`m more concerned is about you. Before I dropped the ladder I thought I was too late! Most of the Deads don't like visitors or roommates. But you were really quick to run away from me so I guess your spirit and body are still intact."

"I've been…in worse states than this!" Carrie muttered while she tried to remove some of the mud and leaves that was stuck in her black wig. She was happy that her wig was still intact and steady on her head, but she didn't dare to take it off and reveal her real hair in front of the caretaker. She didn't trust him!

"So what happened in the hole you were trapped in? I heard a scream but it wasn't you?" He gave her his handkerchief he just used; hesitantly Carrie reached up and took it. She hadn't screamed but the creature had scared her more than she cared to admit, feeling the top of the coffin shaking under her knees and that horrible bawling from it. She couldn't help but to shiver when she thought of it.

Still insecure and skeptical of the stranger's sudden appearance, she shrugged her shoulders while she simply cleaned her face with his handkerchief. "Well...The creature who rests in the coffin wanted to come out, but I was over the top and he or she screamed in frustration but mostly…" Carrie paused. "but mostly with surprise!"

"With surprise?" he said curiously and stepped away from her. His face looked like he didn't really believe what Carrie had just said. Thoughtfully he began walk back and forth in front of her. Discretely and quickly Carrie checked if the scarf and the Snake under it were still around her throat; luckily it was.

The Caretaker moved his face back to hers he then said with a slight worried voice.

"What's your reason to walking here alone? Are you here to visit a beloved dead grandmother, grandfather, father or mother or perhaps a sister?"

"…Not exactly." Carrie murmured embarrassingly. "I just…wanted to see this place. I have heard so much about it."

"Then you certainly didn't listen very carefully or you're just a bold, foolish girl." Mr. Caretaker slightly angrily said. "Tell me, what are you going to do when you don't have any money in your pocket, which I assume you have lost?"

Thinking, Carrie looked over at the Giant, still patrolling right and left near the entrance. She hadn't any money and she didn't have any valuables on her to offer.

Like if Mr. Caretaker was reading her mind he said: "It would not be wise to beg or trying to persuade him."

"Or what…exactly?" Impatience dripped from her voice.

"You are not being the first person to lose her money. Using the bridge is expensive and grave robbers are very good in pick pocketing.

"It would not be the first time I`m sneaking around to avoid any payment!"

"Look over there!"

He pointed at the entrance and Carrie saw a man coming from the opposite direction. He was thin and got a long beard and his clothes were torn.

"Except for the grave robbers, very few people visit the cemetery except for the Holy Nights. If someone gets robbed or simply forgets to bring extra money there is almost no one who can help them. It could take hours; days or weeks until another visitor enters the Island and perhaps saves them."

Clutching his hands together and dropping his knees on the ground the man tried to persuade the Giant to let him go. Carrie and Mr. Caretaker could only see the man's moving form and the Giant's cold and neutral expression.

"Until then, they would be haunted by ghosts, zombies or grave robbers. This man must have been on the Island quite long to make this desperate attempt."

When the Giant made not move or any response of the man's pleading, the man tried to sneak around the Giants back.

With the Giants good arms, he reached for his axe, twirling it menacingly and before the poor man could react The Giant swung his axe and sliced his slender neck with the precision of a surgeon. The man's body fell limp to the cold ground, which quickly sucked up his blood. Without a word the Giant took the man's head and Carrie watched with a pale face as the man's life ebbed away with each pulse from his head. Without any emotion the Giant placed the head on one of the spikes on the high fence, beside with his other trophies.

She studied it for a moment; her face was now completely white.

"That could have been you if you had any thoughts to make the same mistake like he did."

Never before had Carrie feel so foolishly stupid. This Island wasn't a gigantic videogame or a movie she could comfortably sit back and watch! Yes, she did know that these horrible monsters and the strange creatures living here were real but during her protection at the Lotharios, she never got the chance to really experience what the Island was actually offering.

True Horror and a multitude of different ways to die! Really die! Not a simple "game over" and click the restart button but a real painful death.

Mr. Caretaker watched her as her mind came to this horrible wakeup call. "So you do have money?"

"…No." She whispered, still looking at the fresh head on the spike.

"I can help you."

She looked back at him again, Carrie glared at him before feeling her fists clenched tightly. Immediately she rose up and began walk away.

"Where are you going?"

"Digging up a grave if it necessary or better; find the damned grave robber who robbed me and push him down into the grave I came from." She shakily said, tried to regain her confidence again.

"You don't even know what I want in return?"

"Well then, what do you want in compensation for your troubles?" She questioned cynically as she waved her small finger at him. "I`m not stupid! I understand the rules here and from what I have learned from the men I have met; nothing is free!"

"No! Nothing like that!" Mr. Caretaker laughed. "I`m not this sort of person, let me pay and lead your over the bridge and we can talk later. What choice do you have?"

"Finding a shovel!"

"Be serious!"

It was quiet as Carrie considered her options and the man waited patiently for her decision.

"Fine," she shot back childishly.

"Glad to see we've reached an understanding." A smirk tugged the left half of his mouth.

"And I swear if you lay a hand on me—" She warned without glancing at him while she started to walk back to the entrance.

"I promise I won't and when we are back on Kytheai I will lead you to a place, a crowed place, were we can talk more about your debt to me?"

"Sounds good to me."

Smirking, Mr. Caretaker followed behind her without a word. They reached the entrance of the bridge and without a word Mr. Caretaker gave Giant the money while Carrie avoided looking up at the Giants latest trophy. Still keeping her distance Carrie and Mr. Caretaker entered the bridge and began to walk with one meter distance between them.

_What's going on in that head of yours? _She wondered. Her heart still kept hammering in her chest.

"What`s your name stranger?"

Mr. Caretaker's fingers drummed rhythmically against the wooden rail as he looked down at Carrie with amusement in his eyes. Carrie squinted. For a moment, in a twinkle of a second, she thought she saw a phantom image of a skull on his face. They stopped and stood over a small lantern hanging over their heads, creating a strange illusion that there was nothing else outside its glowing ridge.

"Just call me Mister Masper."


	18. Mister Masper

**Alright, how many of you said "FINALLY!" when Carrie meet the gatekeeper "Mr. Masper" in chapter 17? I know you have longed for it! ;)**

**Now the time has come to introduce more drama, intrigues and complicated emotions in the upcoming chapters. ****Who is this mysterious Mr. Masper? What does he want with Carrie? Is he really the Gatekeeper or….someone else? **

**Thank you for your wonderful reviews and great thanks for my Beta-reader "Rutoh-Chan" for helping me with the grammar and the tenses! **

**:-)**

**As you can see, I have changed the Title into "The Nightmare Catcher", it suits the story better and sounds better than "Solar Eclipse".**

**Dont forget to Review!**

**The Nighmare Catcher.**

**Chapter 18.**

Papers littered the desk. It looked as if there had been some semblance of order, but a tempest had come and destroyed it. Sheets of newspapers, pencils, charcoal sketches and glass-jars with colored water were scattered across the small surface that belonged only to Carrie in the library. Tattered copies of Edgar Allan Poe, Byron and Mary Shelley lay in unhappy heaps on the floor and a teacup was placed on top of an old book, starting to make a brown circle on it.

Carrie sat on the chair, keeping busy by creating pigtails on the each side of her black wig. Her dear Snake was in a state between dark green and purple and hung lazily over her shoulders. Bored, It watched her little task while It`s tail were caressing softly over her right arm.

By the constant change of Snake's color, Dr Lothario came up a possibly theory; according to him the constant switching might be depend on Carries mood! When the skin was green Carrie was calm. Lighter green she is beginning to feel happy (But that rarely happened.). Any shades of blue represented her worries or fear and the color red showed the opposite; Anger and irritation!

And speaking of red, tonight Carrie wasn't in the best of moods. By the Snake's constant switching colors; from purple to wine red, it probably meant that Carrie mood was between worried and very pissed off at the same time!

A couple of night ago, Dr Lothario and Leila had greeted Carrie the moment she stepped inside the bookshop after her little night trip. Both of them, well mostly Leila was furious at Carrie's sudden disappearance and asked tons of questions. Without any choice, Carrie told them what happened in the cemetery; about the grave robbers, the grave she had fallen in and about Mister Masper.

In case of the Grave robbers reappearance, but mostly for her disobedience, Carrie was temporary forbidden to step a foot outside the bookshop until Dr Lothario changed his mind.

There were only thing that made all of them more nervous than the Grave Robbers.

Mister Masper.

A dull ache throbbed in Carries stomach as she remembered the moment when she and Mr. Masper had reached the door to Dr Lothario's backdoor. He had tried to hold her hand before they departed, like he intended to be a gentleman and kiss it, but Carrie had quickly moved both her hands behind her back like some kind of shy, innocent maiden and gave Mr. Masper just a slight nod with her head as to say goodbye.

There had been another pause, his gaze had bored into Carries so hard it made her feel uncomfortable, but she had challenged him by starring boldly back.

"_I will come back later to see how you fare, see you soon my dear!" _Were the last words he said before he had walked away and disappeared like a ghost into the darkness.

He promised he would come back to check on how she was "faring" and Carrie was dreading it.

"Have you seen him yet?" Carrie said without lifting her head up as Leila came in and approached with couple of books in her hands.

"No, not tonight and the boys are not around our streets either." Leila said as she put the books on the table in front of Carrie. "I have some books for you to read and perhaps use to make some nice pictures for Grandpa. Is it to your satisfaction your Highness?"

"How did I deserve the honor to be your 'Highness?'" Carrie muttered, still focused on her task on the wig.

"You deserve it after the countless of times you have shown me and Grandfather your 'appreciation' for staying here!" Leila spat.

"Why am I not surprised that you don't want me here or even like me?" Carrie said calmly.

Leila glared at her and began talking in a tone that was the beginning of a bitter conversation.

"I don't like your attitude! You take everything all far too easy! I think you don't understand what kind of place this is! This is not a game!"

Carrie took a deep breath through the nose, standing up from the chair and moved closer to Leila. "I choose whenever I want to go out or not. I just wanted to stretch out my legs and be on my own and not have you as a chaperon," she said with ice in her voice as her eyes glared into Leila's, "Besides, I have learned my lesson, it was a very hard earned lesson so don't come here and tell me what to do and what to be aware of."

Leila moved her head down, sighed and then looked back at Carrie. "I don't think you do. You walked into the cemetery like you owned that place, like nothing would ever harm you."

"Perhaps, but you never told me that grave-robbers and zombies lived there." Carrie said irritably.

"I thought I gave you a hint that night! Think it over, you were not so blind when you sketched the drunken sailor's cat-fight, the gigantic spider laying dead in our backyard or the beggar who was selling werewolf skin. Why don't you react to that?"

"That`s because-" Carrie suddenly looked down embarrassedly on her feet's. "I need references and sometime- I can't help it, sometimes I don't really see, I mean really "See" what the object really are. My mind and my hands want to grab it and put down the object on the paper, try to catch the very essence of what makes it so special."

Leila's eyes were deadly serious but a little bit sad as she watched Carrie. "You can't find comfort in these drawings all the time. Maybe if you spent more time with other people, you would understand your emotions better and especially other people's feelings. You're one of the sourest people I've ever met, you know that?"

"Me?" Carrie laughed roughly and glanced up, the hint of embarrassment was quickly gone from her face. "Sour? I think you are mistaken."

"You are! You rarely eat with us, you only talk if it's something important and don't like questions that relate to yourself. This is the first time you ever show some social skills. "

Carrie merely shrugged and gave a small smile in response as she moved to pick up her finished wig.

"Leila, if you didn't want to spend time sipping milkshake with me the other night, it would have been fine by me. I like to listen to you but I`m not the type who talks about personal stuff or expresses my feelings loudly. What do you want me to say or do? I help Dr. Lothario with his work, isn`t that enough?"

Leila offered the most exasperated expression and pointed a finger accusingly at Carrie. "Grandfather takes a big risk in hiding you here, he`s not keeping you just because you`re so good at illustrating or he`s just simply scared. Haven't you seen with your own eyes that he pities you and he wants you to be safe and unharmed?"

Carrie looked at her slightly astounded, not sure if she should thank Dr Lothario for his thoughtfulness or pity. But Carrie chose to close herself into a box once more, moved her eyes down and fingered the black hair in her hands.

"I don't want any pity; I can take care of myself!"

"I could see that when you came strolling back with that man Mr. Masper yesterday. Did you ever say anything like "Thank You" to him?"

"No…"

"See! You can't even say thank you to the man who saved you from the grave robbers!"

"I didn't give him a nice "Thank You" because I don`t trust him! He may have expected a nice show if the corpse had won and crawled out from the hole with my left arm in its mouth." Carrie grumbled as she putted the wig over her blond hair. "He might have watched the whole scenario…and that poor man, why didn't he help him when he paid me, or other ulterior motives I can't figure out right now."

Dr Lothario walked into the library and heard the last sentences.

"I agree with you Carrie but you should have been a little bit nicer to him." Dr. Lothario said softly. "I have checked out his record. His name is correct and it`s true that he is one of the caretakers of the cemetery."

Standing before her, Carrie couldn't help but lower her head bit, letting the black wig cover her face so he wouldn't see her eyes.

"But you need to be careful! Don't trust anyone here except us, and if he asks anything from you when he comes, let me take care of it!"

Just as Dr Lothario began walking away, a small mumble came out from Carries lips, "Thank you…for everything."

Before Dr. Lothario could ever reply of her sudden gratitude, a soft ringing on the doorbell came from the bookshop and reality set back in.

"Don't worry! I will handle it!" Dr. Lothario said calmly as he headed back into the bookshop. Carrie suddenly had a sinking feeling of who the customer was waiting outside the door. She tossed Leila a worried look and quickly they moved, placed their ears at the backdoor to the bookshop and tried to listen.

"I respect your privacy…I just…wish you could be a little bit nicer to grandfather at least." Leila quickly whispered to Carrie. "Is that too much to ask from you?"

"No it is not, but is not easy for me! Now Sssshhhhh!" Carrie hissed back. She didn't seem irritated or sour when she said it, which made Leila wonder a bit. Looking at the color of the Snake's skin it had suddenly turned into what she guessed to be either grey or a blue cloudy tone.

They heard Dr Lothario's calm but slightly nervous voice as he greeted the very expected person Carrie dreaded to meet.

"Good Evening, you must be Mr. Masper I assume."

"Good Evening Dr. Lothario, I was just passing by to see if your niece is feeling well tonight." Mr. Masper said, drawing out the word "niece" for emphasis. Behind the backdoor, Carrie and Leila listened carefully every word they were saying.

"My niece Lori is feeling fine all thanks to you." Dr Lothario said with an honestly warm tone in his voice." I don't know how I shall ever repay for your kindness!"

"I would be very delighted if you could bring her here so I could have a talk with her." Mr. Masper said softly.

Both Carrie and Leila heard very clearly the cough as Dr Lothario's cleared his throat. "That would be possible but you see my niece is under my protection and after what happened the other night, she still resting."

"I completely understand but I just want to meet her again, it`s very important."

Dr Lothario spoke back. "She`s very delicate and there a lot of things she still doesn't understand about our Island. I think it would be best if you could come back another time."

"Delicate I think is the last word I would use to describe her." Mr. Masper laughed. "But you`re right that our Island is very different from where she came from and everything is new and strange for her. But I assure you I come here in peace and if you please give me a minute with her, I will tell my main reason coming here aside from checking on her welfare."

"_This man can't really take no for an answer!" _Carrie thought and grimaced. Before she knew it what she was doing, she pulled her scarf to cover Snake, while her feet carried her into the store. There was no other choice but to face Mr. Masper if she ever wanted him to leave her alone.

With crossed arms she walked out. She put on a false smile as she entered behind the bookshelves. "I heard your voice, what can I do for you?"

Mr. Masper managed rather well to look surprised at Carrie's sudden appearance. Like she had seen him last time, he ware the same old black and grey outfit, dirty boots and dirty glasses. With better lightning she saw that his hair was more blonde she expected and his skin behind his glasses was less bluish and not so sickly. Less scary and not so haunting as she remembered him back in the cemetery.

"Good evening miss Lori. I hope you`re feeling alright?"

"Never been better, why are you here?" Carrie shortly said.

Mr. Masper gave her a teasing smile. "How about we go to a place a little more private?"

"This isn't private enough?"

"This is between you and me." Mr. Masper said. "It`s very private."

"We stay here!" Carrie said coldly. "If you wish to talk to me in private we can talk here or in the living room together with my uncle. I don't wish to be out there when the grave robbers are running around with knives in their hands."

Mr. Masper face now looked like someone who had never been used to getting objected to or spoken against his will. His lips tightened and his hand seemed to be resisting an urge to move up. Instead, he controlled himself and said with a low calm voice.

"That sounds reasonable."

Dr Lothario swallowed hard as he looked at Carrie icy stare and Mr. Masper's tightened lips. "After what happened to Lori, we are keeping an eye out for the Grave robbers. We don't know if they might try again to hurt Lori or perhaps Leila and me. That`s why we need to be extra careful." He explained.

"I`m keeping an eye on those three." Mr. Masper said as his eyes turned back to him. "There are laws that forbid any sabotage or dishonor to the graves of our beloved. The giants are meant to make sure no one breaks the rules, but unfortunately there are always loopholes. But you can both trust in me, I`m not here to start any trouble and everything we say stays in this house."

Carrie let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "Alright, come with me."

* * *

Minutes later in the living room, Leila brought Carrie and Mr. Masper two cups of tea and placed a small jug of milk on the table. She asked whether Mr. Masper would like some cookies or a cake, he simply shook his head.

With her back to Mr. Masper, Leila made a quick signal with her eyes to Carrie, warned her not to speak about their secret and call if Carrie needs them. Carrie blinked back and bit her lips before put a bit of the milk in her tea and sipped it politely. She proceeded to eye Mr. Masper warily in much the same manner as prey that cautiously sizes up a potential predator. But Mr. Masper calmly focused his attention on his tea and ignored Carrie's stare.

Carrie cleared her throat, gathered herself for a moment before placed her teacup a little bit too hard back on its delicate plate. "Thank you," she said simply.

Mr. Masper smiled back at her. "…Well that`s an improvement…"

"Shut up…" She murmured and lowered her eyes down to her teacup. Carrie wasn't used to showing any gratitude or thankfulness. She wasn't the type to give her gratitude to every person who did something for her. But when she did, she really meant it…really meant it! And during this last hour, she had made a new personal record. First to Dr Lothario and then Mr. Masper, even if the last one was a forced one.

"You gave me the rope so I could climb up from the grave; you helped me with paying the Giant and followed me home. I`m doubting your intentions but you saved my life and for that I`m grateful."

"And you don't really like to be in debt either I assume."

"…No!"

What Carrie had learned was there is always something people expect from her in return. Like her former foster parents or the socials. Gratefulness they expected from her for ever taken her in; giving her a room, a warm bed and food. A favor she sometimes didn't want to repay because they really didn't care for her personally. Only the money they were receiving for just keeping an eye on her. And those times she would rather leave her benefactors with not even a word like a simple "Thank you".

Suddenly Carrie felt a strange urge to itch her neck; something had made the Snake start to tickle her throat. Instinctive Carrie moved her hand up behind her neck to itch it.

Noticing this sudden reaction Mr. Masper said, "Why don't you take of your scarf?"

Carrie froze; her hand still under the scarf, her fingers at the Snakes skin.

"I`m having an cold!" Carrie blushed as she tried to soothe and calm the Snake's sudden energy with her finger. She hoped it looked like she was scratching her back and nothing…weirder.

"You don't look really sick to me."

"It`s a beginning of a cold, thanks to my little night visit!" Her soothing seemed to work a bit and the Snake seemed more pleased. It adjusted itself more comfortably and started to rest again.

"Isn`t a little bit hot to wear it inside?" Mr. Masper wondered as he moved his hands up in an innocent attempt to adjust her scarf.

The Snake was now obedient to Its master's wishes, but the Its skin and the scarf made her neck both hot and sweaty. It was very tempting to just take it off and perhaps scare Mr. Masper away, but the risk he might know what kind of "pet" Carrie was carrying or more importantly; who she really was, was too dangerous to take the chance.

"No and I prefer this way!" Carrie said and pulled the scarf tighter around her.

"Alright, what's the catch?" Mr. Masper suddenly said.

"Catch?"

"The catch to melt some of this iceberg of yours?"

"You need only walk through the front door. Here, allow me to show you the way." Carrie said coldly and moved up from her seat.

"I just want to know who you are!"

"It doesn't have any purpose who I 'am." Carrie said smoothly. "I don't believe you have any reason to interrogate me about my personal life just because you saved me."

Mr. Masper frowned his eyebrow. "Pure curiosity…"

"Killed the cat!" Carrie pointed out. "What do you actually want from me?"

"I want to see your drawings!"

"My sketches? How do you know that I draw?"

"Because I heard you`re very good at drawing and I might perhaps give you a commission." Mr. Masper sneered, cocking his head to one side. "Think of it…as a gift of gratitude."

Just like before. Such a simple word like "Thank you" would sometime not be enough to satisfy a person. Surprise and suspicion swirled around in Carrie's mind as she wondered what Mr. Masper was playing at. The young woman had long since learned that playing games with total strangers always had a catch.

Without a word Carrie headed towards the library to get her sketches. Back there she loosened the scarf of a bit and waved a piece of paper in front of her face, in attempt to soothe her overheating cheeks and itching throat. The Snake tossed and twirled several rounds around her, in a very expected wine red color.

Because of the Snake's great attachment to Carrie, It refused to leave her alone; no matter how many times she had tried to throw It out from the window, into the sea or dumped It in the toilet and flush It away. She had even had Snake locked up in a bottle with a hard cork; which it worked for a while but Snake always has its way to come back.

She had even tried to use the shaker in a very stupid desperation! The result was a very unwell glowing but still intact Snake and for Carrie; a tremendous headache.

Without any choice Carrie tried to soothe it with tracing her fingers over Its long glowing body and desperately whispered calm words to it.

"Please, please calm down. What`s the matter with you? I promise I will make this up to you if you lay still and quite until he leaves." The Snake seemed to understand every word Carrie was saying. It stopped glowing and gently wrapped again around Carrie and laid perfectly still like a loose necklace.

Unable to remove the Snake without a great force which usually took time and the risk It might come back in the middle of their conversation, Carrie had no choice to carry it under her scarf back to the living room again, together with bunch of sketches in her hands.

She tossed the sketches carelessly on the table in front of Mr. Masper.

"This is just sketches and unfinished pieces, most of them are just references. Is it a portrait you're interested for me to do as a gratitude payment for what you did? I prefer to draw and paint dark color, so if you desire something lighter, forget it! It`s not my style. I've got a good grip on the human anatomy; bones, muscles and movements and other stuff so there is no problem for me making a portrait of you."

"Interesting…" he mused, flicking through the papers. "And what`s your personal signature?"

"That`s my personal secret. What I`m doing for uncle is just restoring some of the old books' illustrations. If I need to restore or draw a completely new illustration, I use these references."

Carrie met his gaze steadily, searching in those blue depths for some hidden hint that might betray Mr. Masper's true intentions, perhaps a sadistic glint here, or a malicious gleam there. Those blue eyes, seemed not even to belong to the caretaker, but were instead reminiscent of another man.

Putting her papers down he got up. "It`s not a simple portrait I want from you." He spoke in a different voice, in more of an intimidating tone as he moved around the table and moved closer to Carrie's side. "There is something else I desire." Standing over her, he leaned down; his face coming closer to Carrie's. It made her nervous and her hands clutched hard on the edge of the table to control her emotions. The Snake suddenly made a third turn around her throat; making her gag a bit but Carrie kept her face steady.

"What I need is… a muralist painting for one of the grave tombs."

"…_What?!"_

Carrie was surprised. This was one of the very last things she ever thought she would hear!

Mr. Masper moved up and strengthens his back. "I am impressed by your work so I want to commission you for a job in the cemetery, do you think you can do it?"

She was stunned and a little bit flattered but the thought of working for him in the cemetery, which had now satisfied her curiosity for a long time, gave her chills down through her spine.

Carrie moved up from her seat and rushed to the doorway. "Uncle! Leila!" Carrie shouted and minute later both and Leila came hurried in from the library, looking worried at them.

"Uncle, Mr. Masper has just told me that he would like to have a commission from me. He plans to restore one of the tombs and he wants my help to make a mural painting. What do you think?"

"Well…Lori is very busy with other works and I`m not sure if…"

"There is no problem with compensation. Name your price and I will double it." Mr. Masper calmly said as he had his head down at the table and continued to look over Carrie's drawings, giving no eye contact to Dr. Lothario

The doctor's eyes widened almost comically at Mr. Masper's offer.

"Double the price?"

"You want to have a painting for whatever price we may suggest?" Leila said, sounded very surprised. "From a complete amateur."

"I`m not a amateur!" Carrie pointed out. "And hold a second! Are you really serious?"

"There is a condition. You must use your own personal interpretation of the painting. " Mr. Masper said.

Carrie dared him again to protest against the terms of the deal. "I have never done such a big painting before and what do you mean my 'own interpretation?'"

"Do not paint any realistic based on what you see of this world. I want to see what you feel and think outside the frame."

"But you decided to commission me based only on these papers?!" Carrie said as she snatched the paper away from Mr. Masper's hands and waved it in front of him. "How can you be so sure that my style might not ruin the whole tomb? The corpse might never sleep in peace if my work is demonizing this place."

"What do you prefer to draw then? Just a hint please…"

Carrie raised her eyebrow and snorted._ "He really wanted to hear it?_ "…Dark, scary, bloody, mysterious, monstrous, sorrowful, vulgar and creepy. Sound peaceful?"

"…What else?"

Carrie stared down at her sketches. She picked a bundle up and flicked through the papers one by one and then looked up at Mr Masper again.

"Sincerity and remembering as well, but to be honest, I`m not so sure if I can take this commission-"

He gave a light smile at her. "I will come back later and guide you to the tomb so you can see yourself how much it would mean for this poor soul buried there. Your uncle and cousin are very welcome to join us if they wish. The painting is in the honor and a memory of a girl who has just passed away. A sorrowful tale really, you don't know how grateful she would be, how I would be if you did this favor!"

To tease her, he snatched back the paper Carrie had taken from him. Holding up with his hand, it showed the drawing of the dead spider from the backyard Carrie had sketched a couple of nights ago.

"Remember, this is not something a young artist gets every day. This is a once in a lifetime chance…I promise you."

**What do you think? Reviews please!**


	19. Church of Bones

**The Nightmare Catcher- Chapter 19.**

**Church of Bones.**

**Great thanks for my Beta-reader "Rutoh-Chan" for helping me with the grammar and the tenses! :-)**

Carrie hardly believed what she was seeing.

Humans' skulls had always been a great fascination for scientists, artists and religious purposes for centuries. Lord Byron drank his wine through a skull while he wrote his poetry. Damien Hirst created "For the Love of God", a platinum cast of an human skull encrusted with 8,601 flawless diamonds- worth today a shameless 100 million dollars, or as a symbol for Hamlet's melancholic phrase; "To be or not to be, that is the question."

But this artistry Carrie hadn't ever expected to see. And it was the most beautiful and the most disgusting thing she ever seen in her entire life.

On the outside, the building looked like an average old medial house with high windows and two bell towers, almost like a church. But on the inside, they were everywhere: Bones, bones and more bones

And she, Mr. Masper, and Dr Lothario were standing in the middle of it. Never in her life had she ever seen such a vision. The main "skeleton" of the Church was made of dark wood but the walls and the ceilings were decorated in white skulls and bones. The ends of bones were the prominent decoration, but they would be interspersed with ordered lines of skulls. Like a pearl necklace, she saw strings of skulls all hung up like some sort of Christmas decoration over the ceilings. The more she looked, the more bones she could see. The pillars were likewise decorated, as were portions of the ceiling and the frames of the windows and doors.

"A church made of bones!" She exclaimed.

"Yes, and tastefully done too," came Dr Lothario's reply.

Carrie moved towards one of the bone pillars and examined it closely, "Human bones?" The answer, though expected, was, "Yes…well almost…it has a couple of other species but the majority are Nobels and Commons citizen from Gorgosseum and Pyon and also-".

Hardly listening Carries touched one of the skulls with her fingers.

"How many bones are here?"

Mr. Masper knew she would be impressed, and he smiled when he looked her gaping. "I think is now decorated by more than 40,000 skeletons." Mr. Masper said casually.

"40,000!" Carrie contemplated such a church, and thought that anything constructed of human bone should be confined to the realm of novels, fairytales, horror movies or at least computer games. She had heard about catacombs, but they were meant as burial chambers, a resting place, but this was widely different and beyond her imagination.

But she was on Gorgosseum, having not an Ossuary should not then proclaim itself as the Island of horrors. But it was not as ghoulish or grotesque as you would inspect; instead it was a tastefully and creatively constructed vision. The lightness of the bones gave the church some kind of illumination and right over their heads hung a gigantic chandelier which was also made totally of bones, lit up by dozens of candles.

"But why haven't you shown me this before?"

"This isn`t exactly an tourist attraction, Lori." Dr Lothario said.

_What kind of religion, God, Goddess or Demon are they worshipping_? Carrie wondered as she looked around. _Do they believe some kind of Heaven and Hell? If they do, what kind of Hell do they believe in when Gorgosseum possess every kind of torture, monsters, devils and misery from the human imagination?! _

"_A summer resort perhaps?" _Carrie bemusedly thought. "_For them, Herafters vision of Hell must be much brighter and warmer dimension to end up in. Another horrible but at least slight warmer place to suffer."_

"It`s quite amazing," Mr. Masper continued. "Some of the heads still have the ability to speak or rather scream. I don't know why, but they do. But if you wish to know how they got killed or how their former lives have been you`re free to ask them by just lighting a candle and placing it inside one of their mouths."

Seeing a bunch of unlit candles in a box on the right side at the entry, Carrie took one .

"But I wouldn`t recommend to do it, since most of the skulls have died in a very cruel way and their las moments are not really nice to hear," Mr. Masper warned while he impulsively pulled his mouth slightly, eager to see what sort of reaction Carrie would make because of her foolish curiosity.

Ignoring the warning, Carrie chose one of the Skulls from the pillar she just had examined; carefully she placed the candle inside the Skull and quickly removed her fingers from its sharp yellow-white teeth.

She waited, ready for any sort of sign or movement from it, but when nothing happened Carrie signed disappointedly and moved away. Unfortunately, she wasn't so quick at predicting what happened next.

The skull suddenly began shout a pierce earring scream!

The scream was so loud and so terrifying that Carrie instantly backed away. Her feet fumbled under her skirt and with a thump her butt landed on the hard stone floor. With her white face up towards the Skull, Carrie saw that the eyeholes, nose and mouth were glowing with great fire inside of them, like the fire was torturing it by the burning flames.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Mr. Masper chuckled while with a candle-snuffer put out the Skull's misery.

Embarrassed and a little bit humiliated Carrie huffed and pushed away some the black hair out of her face.

"It was not funny!" Carrie spat as she rose up from her sitting position, brushed her skirt to remove the dust and dirt from it and discreetly checked if her wig was still properly adjusted on her head and not turned up by fright like the Bride of Frankenstein. Luckily the wig was still on her head and even the "Snake" was still invisible under her scarf and away from Mr. Masper's prying eyes.

"But where do all these bones come from?"

"Mostly from victims and traitors. The heads on the pillar the Giants are collecting will end up here, after the worms and the birds have eaten them clean of flesh and hair," Mr. Masper calmly said as he carefully removed of some spider web and dust on a couple of old broken skulls laying on some kind of small altar with his hand.

This new fact made Carrie feel uncomfortable. It must have been many souls who had ended their lives in the most miserable way she had ever imaged here. She was disgusted over the rotten head on the pillars at the gateway and the way the grave robbers disrespect people by stealing bodies from their graves.

Shouldn't she be ashamed that she admired an architecture that had caused so much blood to be created and that she had so carelessly wanted to know another person's life like that by lighting a candle in its mouth and forcing it to talk…or rather scream out its misery. What was she thinking!?

"I think our tour ends here, and I will now guide you the tomb." Mr Masper said.

* * *

Moving away from the pillar and the now quite skull, they turned around the corner and came to a small open entrance with a staircase. Giving Dr Lothario and Carrie a burning candle and with Mr. Masper using a lantern to guide them, they started to move down into the mysterious underworld beneath the church.

Walking down the air became old and dry with a sickly sweet scent and Carrie couldn't help to wrinkle her nose at this odor. The cobwebs that coated the ceilings were swaying in time with the small breeze that was coming along with them from the entry.

"The nobles and the merchants prefer to bury their dead in the crypts. It`s safer than keeping their beloved ones above the ground where the grave robbers might come and steal their jewels or flesh." Dr Lothario said.

"But ironically, here the lower classes have the chance to be above their superiors." Mr. Masper continued dryly as they moved down."

The underground was a complex maze of twists and turns; Mr. Masper led them along small and dark tunnels that seemed endless; sometimes they came across bronze-doors with strange spells and symbols covering them.

Carrie tried to look closely at some of the symbols, but the small light of the candle limited her vision and Mr. Masper was a very fast walker. He never paused, as he guided them down in the endless dark maze.

While passing one of them Dr Lothario spoke again to Carrie. "These marks on the doors are spells to protect the crypt from intruders. Every crypt belongs to a family and only they can enter it."

"Except me." Mr. Masper said without turning his head back towards them. "And if someone ever dares to enter it without the family-blood flowing in their veins or without having the permission they will be cursed by sickness or death."

"Is your family buried here?" Carrie asked to Dr. Lothario.

"No, Most of our members are buried in Pyons cemetery I believe, depending on if Royo Pixler hasn't used his excavators yet on that area."

"Pyons cemetery has its own Island like this one, and lies far away enough from his city." Mr. Masper answered him. "I don't think he has destroyed it...yet."

"Oh that is a relief." Dr Lothario sighed.

"I said not yet."

In the next corner, they entered a smaller hallway and suddenly Mr. Masper stopped in front of an open entry without any bronze-door to protect it. He looked back at Carrie and Dr Lothario, his eyes glowing faintly in the darkness; "We are here!" he announced and then quickly he walked inside.

With some hesitation Carrie and Dr. Lothario followed him inside.

The room was very dark and the light from their candles did not quite reach the corners but they could see the small sarcophagus in the center of the room.

Carrie starred at it. "She`s already buried?"

"Not yet. The body is in another place until the crypt is completely finished. Poor girl, so much life and affection to others…"

"How did she die?" Dr Lothario asked.

"Illness…for a long time she was bedridden and couldn't do much except reading and drawing."

Carrie looked closer at the sarcophagus; she couldn't see any name written on it. "What`s her name?"

"Her family and I agreed that no one shall know that someone is decorating the crypt. When you`re painting the crypt must stay open because we can't place a spell on it while you`re in here, not to mention the risk that strangers or grave robbers might come down here and destroy it. It`s for the sake of their reputation, the safety of this crypt and especially you."

Carrie glanced around the crypt, giving in to a sudden urge not to meet his eyes. "How can I paint when the light is so limited?"

"By this…" By a snap with his fingers, the lantern he carried lit up in such a bright light both Carrie and Dr Lothario were suddenly blinded. Carrie gasped and shielded her eyes; it hurt a bit and she had to wait a couple of seconds before she could open eyes could see properly again. But thanks to the light, they saw that the room was smaller they had imaged it to be. What they now saw was a room with light-grey smooth stone walls. The ceiling and the upper walls were decorated in small circular petals, but the rest was empty and bare. The sarcophagus was pure white with the same style as the ceiling and was placed on a stone table.

"It`s not necessary to paint all the walls, It would be good enough if you just focus the wall in the middle," He pointed at the wall that was in front of them.

"I will provide you with the necessary equipments and-"

"Hold on a minute." Carrie interrupted. "I haven't said yes yet! Even though this wall is small enough to paint I`m not so sure if my work will be good enough!"

"I believe you will make a excellent painting no matter what you do!" Mr. Masper smiled.

She glared at the poor blank wall front of her and then back at Mr Masper."If you didn't notice, Mr. Masper, all I have shown you is a lot messy sketches. Do you really think by just looking at them that I have what it takes?"

"Yes I do! Not by these sketches, but by this;" Digging his pocket inside his coat, Mr. Masper picked up a small worn-out book and put it on the table. "I think this would suit the tomb very well."

Carrie dropped the candle she was holding and snatched the book and quickly opening it. It was her black book, the one the grave robbers took. With bewildered eyes she saw the ripped out pages and all the mud and dirt over it.

"H-how…"

"I found it in the cemetery, I guess the boys took it and tried to sell it but it was too damaged to be any worth so they probably threw it away."

"Have you…looked inside it?"

"At the few pages that were intact, yes, and that's why I want you to do it. I see your soul and the great passion in it and-"

The air had disappeared from her lungs, and she felt her heart begin to skip beats. Her head went oddly blank, and her stomach seemed to expand. Then she suddenly snapped and moved towards him. With just a few centimeters from their bodies to touch each other, she starred angrily up at him.

"THIS BOOK IS PERSONAL! What I draw in this book is private and only meant for my eyes and no one else!" Carrie looked to be ready to punch the book right in his face if Mr. Masper hadn't interrupted her plan.

"I didn't know it was so personal and I beg for forgiveness, it was never my intention seeing these...vulnerable sides of yours. But comparing it with your sketch book where you draw only for practice and these drawings in here..." Saying with slow steady voice as he moved one finger and touched slightly on the black book Carrie was holding in her shaking hands. "In here there is a soul and so much desire and…vulnerability. That`s why I want you to paint the wall."

Carrie continued to stare coldly at him, feeling her chest heave with a mix of different emotions. You can write your inner feelings and secrets in a diary and keep it locked up because a diary is only for your eyes and no one else. You would never write it on the school board in front of your classmates.

Even making Art as more abstract way to express your feeling is not available or favorable to all viewers when they seeing it. For many artists it is a vulnerable project, and while some have nerves enough to take any critique or bad reviews, for others it is like having their heads frozen into ice. And for Carrie it`s like a hard punch in her stomach.

Hearing Carries trembling breathing Mr Masper continued with a calm gentle voice. "In this tomb you can paint whatever you want! She loved music, books and art. Her tastes were quite likes yours and her final wish was to have her body surrounded by what she truly loved. She died so young and I really want to make her wish come true! Would you deny her this small request?"

"This girl must have had a very odd taste then," Carrie muttered. "But what I`m drawing in this book is for my own satisfaction and no ones else's. I can't draw like this if I knew someone is going to look at it later, like her family."

"No one will ever see this painting! When you`re finish and her body is buried I shall close the crypt forever. Only her spirit will see your masterpiece and I believe she will be forever grateful if you do this little favor."

Her eye brows knitted as she considered his proposal. Only she, the dead girl and perhaps Mr. Masper will ever see it and that might give her enough relaxation and privacy to do this. She was beginning to wonder if maybe this really was a harmless favor, but knowing that Miss Fortuna didn't like her right now it could end like it happened to her in Wormwood a million times worse.

"Mr. Masper, can I talk to you please?" Dr Lothario interrupted.

Surprised, they looked over at Dr. Lothario's presence. They clearly had forgotten him while they argued, showing a very slightly worried and serious look on his face.

Mr. Masper looked like he was going to disagree, but though his fists were still clenched he nodded as the two made their way out from the room for some attempt at privacy while Carrie first stared suspiciously at them until she moved her head down to look through her sketchbook and inspect the damage of her beloved pages.

When they were out of sight and beyond hearing, Dr. Lothario finally revealed his discontentment to Mr. Masper.

"I accepted to come here because Lori would have the chance to see the Ossuary and understand our culture more properly, but I`m doubting about this project Mr. Masper. As Lori is still underage it`s I who have the responsibility of her welfare and decisions. Lori is new here and not used to either this climate or the citizens. Do you expect that I would let my niece walking every night to this cemetery, alone and unprotected just to paint a crypt? It`s too dangerous. Just look what happened last night with the grave robbers!"

"I will not pretend to be innocent of my share in that night's events," said Mr. Masper calmly. "But the way she tricked them to draw a group portrait and fell into that gruesome grave and survived from its horrors; Dr. Lothario, she might be stubborn but not a fool nor a coward when she`s facing danger. She is a survivor!"

"Unfortunately I believe she has a gift to walk into trouble very easily." Dr Lothario muttered as he crossed his arms. "These grave robbers are still out there. I`m sorry but I have to say-"

"I will escort her through the cemetery every time she comes to work on my commission. No harm will be done to her under my protection."

"I will not allow-" Dr Lothario protested.

"You will, Dr. Lothario." Mr. Masper voice was now cold as his blue eyes now starred intensely down at him. With his hand he clutched Dr. Lothario's shoulder hard and even through the fabric, the old professor could feel the icy coldness of Mr. Masper's long fingers. The coldness spread through his muscles and veins, it traveled through his blood and into his head, and following with it was a new change in Dr. Lothario's mind.

"If…you say that no harm will ever come to her…why not!? It might…be good…for her to do something useful with her creativity." He said as he kept starring back into Mr. Maspers eyes.

"I agree with you. This will do her good!" Mr. Masper whispered slowly.

Hearing the last words while walking out from the tomb, Carrie saw them as Mr. Masper moved his hand away from Dr. Lotharios shoulder and looked back at her with a smile on his face.

"You uncle has just agreed that it`s a great idea that you do this painting."

Moving closer Carrie narrowed her eyes at Dr Lothario. "Really?! Are you sure 'Uncle?' Recently you were determined that-"

"Mr. Masper will escort you through the cemetery every time you`re coming and leaving the church." Dr Lothario said; his eyes seemed a little bit blank and dreamy, like he just had been awoken from a slumber. "You`ll be safe here in the church but outside I wouldn't recommend you to walk alone."

"What about the giants?" Carrie asked.

"The Giant won't cause any trouble when you`re using the bridge." Picking something from his pocket, Mr Masper showed her a golden ring with a black stone on it. "When you`re carrying this ring, the Giants will allow you to enter the bridge. All you have to do is showing the ring to them and they will not chop off your head."

Looking at the small ring in Mr. Masper's palm, glowing bright against the black of his glove, made her feel uncomfortable. Mr. Masper watched her closely, as if studying and analyzing her face.

After a long, tense moment Carrie spoke, each word calm and clear in her voice as she looked up at Mr. Masper. "There might be one thing you can do for me! Except for a decent payment, which all money shall go to my uncle and cousin, I need some help to leave this Island. I had planned to stay just a couple of nights but then the Carrions decided not allow any ships leave the harbors."

"So you want some help to escape?" Mr Masper mused. "Don't you like to live here with your uncle and cousin?"

"I wasn't exactly a 'morning person' back on my home Island but I`m not a night owl either. I just want information when Mater Motley and Lord Carrion are going let the ships sail again or if there are any ships at all that are still sailing. If you know something please tell me. Meantime I will work on the painting and I will not abandon it unless there is an emergency. I know it`s a dangerous risk you taking, but in case you haven't noticed_ I don't belong here_. "

He pressed his lips together, looking off into the distance, as if he was remembering something. "Yes, I quite understand and I will see what I can do. You have my honor that I will not tell anyone about this agreement and to be sure that you are in safe hands."

While headed back towards the stairs, they talked another few minutes until they were above the ground again. Mr. Masper said he had to leave for other business he needed to attend to, but Carrie stopped him at the doorway and looked and gave him one of her usual small smirks with her mouth.

"Did you know I actually had a chance to enter the bridge, without paying or loan any money at all?"

"How?"

"Peter, one of the Grave robbers gave me a riddle. A riddle about how he and his gang could take the corpses out from the cemetery without getting their heads chopped of."

"And what`s the answer?" Mr. Masper wondered.

"He said you`re permitted to exit with the same tools you have when you entered. Your spade, the wagon but not withering flowers, stolen jewels or any garbage's you didn't have when you walked in. But you can take a corpse with you. Or rather; fresh pieces of different corpses from the cemetery, sewed together to make one body! Leaving the other corpse, which must be a very bad one here! This is the answer!"

"You`re absolutely right but what`s your point!"

"He told me the riddle to give me a hint! If I had finished the drawing they wanted, the boys would have helped me back to Kytheai"

Mr. Masper started to understand the hint of her story and he smiled teasingly. "How?"

"In a coffin!"

Mr. Masper stared at Carrie in sheer amazement. A laugh, which possessed the notes of amusement and madness, echoed from the man. The hairs on the back of Carrie's neck suddenly stood up.

"You certainly have a taste of dark humor in you!" Mr. Masper said while still laughing. "And you are also very good to avoid tricky questions."

And without saying goodbye or giving Carrie any time to reply, he walked quickly away and was gone from her sight.

"You don't need to go through with this Carrie." Dr. Lothario said, with a clearer head now that Mr. Masper had disappeared. "It could be dangerous."

"I know but this might be my chance to get out of here, and the most important thing; If I keep staying all nights in your bookshop I`m going scratch your walls like a angry little Tarrie-cat."

"And it will be a cat-fight between you and Leila when she hears this arrangement."

She sighed and then looked at Dr Lothario. "This is going to be a very long night for me."

* * *

- Later that night, after taking a hot shower Carrie stared up at the ceiling. Her back was all stretched out on the bed, and she felt her wet hair soak the pillow under her head.

Her thoughts were focused on Mr. Masper's proposal. Both Dr Lothario and Leila, well mostly Dr Lothario, had agreed that this commission may sound harmless, but Mr. Masper's true intentions might be something else. He was truly the caretaker and even lived on the small Island but that was all they could find about him. No bad words about his reputation but no good words about him either.

Carrie remembered clearly the icy determination in Mr. Masper's eyes at her hesitation. That man was not used to taking "No" for an answer when he wanted something.

This young victim must be very special if he was doing all this to fulfill her last wish!

A young life had tragically left this world. A young girl Carrie didn't have the chance to meet before her life ended. Her last wish was to have something beautiful decorating her grave. She didn't want her body to be buried under cold damp earth. Remembering the grave Carrie accidently fell into, she shuddered. There was no sign of a gravestone, wooden cross or flowers covering it. It was grey, open and bare. An awful, boring and sad place for that unfortunate soul lying there.

Well no wonder it had wanted Carrie's company!

But still…She dreaded to think of what would happen to her if she or Dr Lothario and Leila got caught, or something came up that she never would have the chance to complete this big commission. A mural painting wasn't a small A-4 drawing. It was a much bigger project and Carrie wasn't sure she could finish it before the time came that she needed to leave this place.

It was such big risk, but deep inside Carrie knew she really wanted to do this work.

Taking a deep breath, Carrie sat up and gripped a handful of her still wet blond hair and wrung it out, letting small drops of water splash on the floor. Unknowingly she also wrung the poor Snake's body together with her hair, it making a small noise of displeasure towards her harsh treatment.

Carrie couldn't help to make a face that was half-amused and half-annoyed at it.

"Hey, it`s your fault when you like to tangle my hair."

Still keeping half the body in Carrie's hand, the Snake moved Its Petal-head right in front of Carrie's face. It tilted its head curiously and Carrie couldn't help but smirk and finding this sight quite…cute.

Her hands reached up slowly and picked Snake out from her hair. While holding the glowing skin, she gently stroked her fingers over the top of Its petal head.

"You have been a good and quite boy tonight. Wonder why? You often like to scare people or just show off with your glowing skin?"

Responding to her touch, the Snake stroked its head up the palm of her hand like a cat and she could feel the joy coming from it. "Maybe you`re not so bad after all? You really scared the pants off that graverobber and you surely showed that corpse who`s the boss." Giving her permission (Even though the Snake would do without otherwise.) the Snake moved up and placed itself comfortablely around her bare shoulders again, now in an unusual light of green and orange.

"Except for that creepy dream of your former master, I think I had never slept so well before I got you. Wonder why? Perhaps you are my little Nightmare catcher?"

Picking up her damaged sketchbook from the drawer, she opened a blank page and placed the open page on the floor. She sharpened her pencils till they were sharp like needles, then she sat down and began to draw. Leaning forwards, with her legs crossed like a Buddha she began with anticipation and eagerness the first lines of a painting she hoped that the dead girl would not mind to watch in her forever deep slumber.

"_But why do I feel that I have just signed my soul away to the Devil!?"_

**The inspiration for this chapter was when I stumbled upon photos of the catolic chapel "Sedlec Ossuary" on Tumblr. **

**The Chapel is famous for its Amazing interior of 40-70.000 skeletons, decorating and furnishing the whole Chapel in a surrealistic and mindblowing way. Especially their enormous bone chandlier! I was stunned when I saw the photographs of this chapel. I knew about catacombs (Thanks to Disneys Hunchback of Notredame.) but I never heard about Ossuarys before. When I saw these pictures, I knew I needed to use this in my story. **

_**Reviews please!**_


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